Digimon Genesis
by the-magna-angel
Summary: Five humans are unwillingly sent into the Digital World, aided only by the power of being able to transform into Digimon. Can they defeat the ghastly evil that rules there? CHAPTER 35 UP!
1. Takumi's Adventure! The Grand Transform...

_The name's Magna, and I wrote this story ... I think. I just busted it out on my Microsoft Word. It's not long, so just read it. I think it's pretty good. You might disagree, but that's okay. Constructive criticism is appreciated._

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon._

**DIGIMON GENESIS**

**CHAPTER I**

**TAKUMI'S ADVENTURE! THE GRAND TRANSFORMATION!**

The sun was shining through the small clouds. It was a beautiful spring day, and Takumi realized that he was flying. The air rushed against his face; the breeze felt wonderful. Opening his eyes in excitement, he watched the town far below him, and he felt free . . . finally free at last. He laughed as the wind seemed to carry him high above the earth. Looking up at the clouds again, it seemed as though the clouds were opening up, to reveal the sun. But it wasn't light that beamed down to the Earth. A dark mist seemed to come from the sun and separate the world in two . . . but Takumi wasn't on either of them. He was just floating in darkness. Darkness . . . and then he woke up.

It had been a dream . . . a dream . . . he wasn't flying . . .

Takumi Hito glanced at his alarm clock. 7:14.

"Aw, I overslept again," he said, tiredly emerging from his bed.

The truth was, he hadn't overslept at all - if it were up to him he would be in bed for the next four hours, but he was not his own master. He had to obey the mindless laws of school.

In fact, he had been up late the previous night, well into the early hours of the morning, studying for the math test that he had to take today. He had spent the longest time looking through his notes, until he was sure that he understood it. But he didn't. Of course, he couldn't go ask his mother . . . she was no good at math, and far too busy anyway.

Takumi's father had died many years ago, when he was about three years old. His father had been an exceptionally bright man who later became a doctor. Takumi could only remember him slightly, but the thirteen year-old thought about him all the time, he was thinking about him now as he put on his clothes for school, an orange t-shirt and some jeans. These jeans had holes on both knees, which grew bigger each time he put them on.

_Kids at school will think I'm dirt poor, can't even buy a decent pair of jeans, _he thought as he slipped into them. Then he stared off and reflected on the validity of this concern.

He was able to put that off his mind as he went into the bathroom where he washed his face and then took a comb from one of the drawers and tried his best to comb his hair. After gathering all of his school materials and carefully checking that he had the notebook that contained his test information, he headed down the stairs, where his mother was watching television in the kitchen.

"Oh, that woman!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. "Look at the skimpy outfit she's wearing! I don't need this, I'm trying to watch the weather! Agh! You're in front of the map!"

Takumi watched his mother as she bit into a doughnut.

"I'm going to school, mom," Takumi said, exiting the kitchen.

Math class was around noontime, and if he wanted to pass the test he would have to make the best of every precious minute. Sixty seconds could mean the difference between understanding a key concept, passing by the skin of his teeth, and failing miserably. The bus, however, was crowded and noisy and did not make a good study hall. He would be forced to spend lunch studying. That was fine with him, he didn't sit with anyone he liked anyway and he would rather go hungry than fail.

As he frantically flipped through the pages of his math textbook, it seemed like someone had sped up time. Soon there was only fifteen minutes before the bell rang, and he hardly understood the basics of the first lesson. He struggled, trying to drown out the thoughts of impending academical doom while pounding the information in his head.

It was no use. The bell rang. Takumi slowly picked up his book, studied page 387 one last time, and closed it.

When the class came, he was nervous and tried to concentrate. Even the pretty girl in front of him would not stop him from keeping focused. But the confidence that seemed to come from every other student in the class made him feel weak, and before he knew it the test was being passed out and he was forced to put his book away.

He read through the test paper, learning soon enough that he didn't understand any of it. Even managing to get half of them right would be an uphill battle. When the bell rang, the students passed in their tests and Takumi had guessed on all of them.

Finding his locker, he was not amused to find a crowd of chattering girls directly in front of it.

_Get out of my way and babble somewhere else, _Takumi wanted to say to them, but he would never be that assertive. So he simply stood there awkwardly and waited for them to leave.

When he finally got a chance to open his locker, the bell rang for the next class, just as Mr. Mes, the grumpy janitor, arrived. When Mes accused him of skipping class, Takumi told him he had just been late, but wasn't skipping. The suspicious janitor cast Takumi a wary look and mumbled something about giving him detention the next time.

As if that wasn't bad enough, he arrived late for gym class, much to the amusement of the students there. The gym teacher, Mr. Akimoto, had a talk with him about being late for class.

Takumi didn't listen to any of it, though. He had received that lecture many times before. Instead, he thought about his father. What would he do if he knew his son had been late for class and flunked the test?

Takumi looked up at the ceiling as the gym teacher continued his lecture. He expected to see his father, who would look angry at him and say, "My son? . . . An insult . . ." but Takumi didn't see anything.

"Takumi!"

He looked at the gym teacher. "Did you hear anything I just said? I want you to be on time for class from now on, okay? I hate to do this, but if you don't improve I'm going to have to write home. Got it, Takumi?"

Takumi nodded. He was sorry that he was late for class, but he was more sorry to his father. After Takumi thought much harder about it in the locker room, tears began to roll down his cheek. He didn't care when one of the boys in his class teased him for crying. The boy was an idiot, anyway . . .

He returned home with a pile of homework, which he planned on throwing away when he got home. He was sweating from all the running he had done in gym class as he climbed up the steps to his house. He turned the doorknob and walked inside.

Takumi sighed and went up to his room. His bed had not been made. He stared around the room. It was a mess. Lying there, beside his dresser, was a photo album. Takumi felt tears in his eyes as he picked up the book. It was very heavy, and it contained pictures of when Takumi was younger. Years ago, Mrs. Hito loved to take pictures of the whole family. He scanned a picture of his dad from when Takumi was two. His father was on the couch, smiling, holding a laughing baby high up in the air.

_Does the boy in the picture know, _thought Takumi, _that his father wouldn't be with him very long? And does the man in the picture know, that his son will be a failure?_

Takumi collapsed on the bed with the photo album, tears coming out of his eyes. And he must have dozed off in sadness, for when he woke up later, night had fallen.

It took a while for Takumi to realize where he was. He had such a strange dream ... a group of men were surrounding him, it seemed like he was almost unaware of their presence . . . these men talked in muffled voices, and Takumi couldn't catch all of what they said . . . he was half-asleep. A man who seemed like the leader of the group walked toward Takumi. It was at this point that the boy began to feel frightened, he felt paralyzed; no matter how hard he tried to move, he couldn't.

The man who approached Takumi was holding a green formula. Takumi stared with his eyes half-open as the man forced the formula down his throat . . . and that was the last he could remember.

How strange, he thought, with a glance at his alarm clock. It was 9:44.

Even after the disturbing dream, his thoughts still drifted back to his father. He couldn't think straight without coming to his father, so he did what was best when he was down: Takumi decided to take a walk, even though it was nighttime. It didn't matter, although only thirteen, he had walked in the night alone many times before. He also could manage the household without his mother around, for if he didn't, his life would be very difficult. His mother often worked late into the night, and it was common for him to fall asleep at night alone in his house.

He walked along the sidewalk, looking down at his feet, hoping he wouldn't encounter someone on the way, it always annoyed him when someone asked him what he was doing up so late, as if it were any of their business. He continued to walk along, until he heard a sound. Footsteps. Someone else was walking on the street. He looked up. In the distance, he saw a boy jogging. Takumi halted. There was no mistaking it. It was the same stupid idiot who had made fun of him for crying. Out on his nightly jog, so it seemed.

The boy began to make his way past Takumi, who gritted his teeth in hate. The boy didn't seem to notice him because it was so dark.

Suddenly, a strange sensation went through Takumi.

He clenched his fists. _This arrogant boy, _he thought. _This stupid boy laughed at me . . . he doesn't have the same problems . . . he goes about his own life . . . he may never know sadness._

And then Takumi's head seemed to burst. He had a sudden desire to hurt this boy . . . to give pain to the ignorant kid . . . he wanted to kill him. He had wanted to kill someone before many times, but not it was not something he wanted . . . he _needed_ to kill him. It was painful to see him live.

Takumi's fists tightened even harder. It seemed as every muscle in Takumi's body was on fire.

The boy let out a roar of rage. It wasn't a sound that a human would make. It was more like a beast.

His anger exploded, and he could feel his body changing . . . changing . . . his head began to change shape, his fingers morphed into claws - his skin changed color, it was now an orange color. A tail. Takumi began to grow, his back stiffened - where there was once Takumi there was now a horrible beast - a dragon.

This dragon had wings, and a sharp horn on it's head. His head was made up of many spikes, and his teeth were as sharp as knives. His claws were hard as steel, and a tail that could crush bones.

Suddenly, the boy who had jogged past Takumi turned around. His eyes grew wider and wider as he watched the dragon come closer . . .

The beast roared, fire spewing from his scorching throat. He faced the boy, the ignorant, stupid boy and dived at him. The boy covered his face with his hands, but it didn't matter. The dragon dove his claws into the boy's arm, and the child let out a shriek of pain. The monster then held up the boy by his talons and threw him violently to the ground.

The boy gripped his bleeding arm and once again stared at the dragon, mesmerized and paralyzed by fear. The beast crept closer and closer . . . the child on the ground attempted to move, but he couldn't force a muscle. The sharp claw had dove into his bone, his arm had broken. The boy tried to stand up, and grabbed his arm again, using his right arm to protect his face. The beast that had attacked him then lunged at him with his claws and slashed the boy's body. The boy sank to the ground, blood stained onto his clothing.

Takumi felt the grass and clutched it tightly. He opened his eyes and saw the sunlight. Dawn. Takumi then looked around. Where was he? He couldn't remember this place, he couldn't remember where he was or how he got there . . . but it was then that he saw it. The body. Blood had splattered over the sidewalk. Takumi gasped in shock. He then held up his own hands, and saw red stains on it. He looked at the boy in horror, and then at his own hands. He ran home, horrified.

_Don't miss the next installment - Chapter 2: Harvesting Darkness _

So what do you think? I think it's the best story I've ever wrote. There will be more, if anyone likes it. So tell me. Did you find it a thrilling read, or absolutely dreadful? Just take a minute and send me a review, I love feedback.


	2. A Meeting in the Darkness

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon, obviously. This is a FANFIC. A FICtion written by a FAN. Digimon is owned by Akiyoshi Hongo, Toei, and Bandai, along with other related companies._

_Last time on "Digimon Genesis" a troubled boy named Takumi Hito collapsed on his bed in sadness, feeling that he had let the memory of his father down by being a failure in school. While half-conscious, a group of people forced him to ingest a strange green formula. When he awoke, he decided to take a walk in the night. While on the stroll he came across one of his classmates. Then, a strange sensation went through Takumi's body and he transformed into a dragon and killed the boy. When he woke up later, it was daylight, and he had no idea what had transpired._

**DIGIMON GENESIS**

**CHAPTER 2**

**A MEETING IN THE DARKNESS**

Takumi ran down the road. His eyes were foggy, he could barely make out an object ten feet in front of him. Still he ran on. What lie ahead could not be scarier than what lay behind.

Suddenly, the boy stopped, panting, turning around. He had ran quite a ways.

Then he looked down at his feet. He was only thirteen years old, and yet he had done something so horrible, so dark, so extreme - he had committed murder. Or did he? Had it just been a dream.

_Yes, _Takumi thought. _It had to be. There's no way I could have done . . . that . . . no way . . . no way . . ._ and then he looked at his hands. They still carried the stains of blood.

_That is not what I think it is,_ he thought again. _It's not blood. It's something else . . . it's not that . . ._

Takumi's run slowed down to a walk, but it was a fast walk, as though a dark force was behind him. His house was only a few minutes away.

When he came to his house, he felt odd.

Birds were singing. The house was still and quiet. It didn't feel right. How could the world be so quiet when such a terrible thing had happened?

Takumi walked up his driveway, still staring at the brick house. The whole world, even the house itself, seemed like they all had more than a vague idea of what he had just done. For some reason Takumi felt that they demanded an apology from him. His own house seemed to watch him. It was like it was waiting for him to come up the driveway, kneel before it and confess. Entering through the front door and refusing to repent first was a sin.

_Should I go in? _he thought. Although the birds were in graceful melody, and the sun was rising above the clouds, it seemed as though something were waiting in the house that wanted to hurt Takumi.

It was sunny and quiet. A normal morning . . . to everyone else.

_No one would know, _Takumi thought. _No one would know that I did it - that is, if I did do it. Did it even happen?_ At this point he almost turned back to go check on the body - to see if it was there, or never was there, if it was a dream.

Then a terrible thought came to him. The morning had been quiet - eerily quiet - and empty. He had not encountered a single person as he had ran down the road. What if everyone in the whole wide world had disappeared, without a trace, leaving him trapped in this oddly mundane morning forever?

He had to find his mother. She had to be at home. If she wasn't, then something was wrong.

He ran into the house at light speed, opening the door and stepping inside. He was about to call his mother's name when -

_"Takumi! _Oh Takumi, where have you been? Are you all right?" It was the voice of his mother, and he noticed that she had spilt coffee on her robes when she had ran frantically down the stairs.

"H-hello, mom," he managed to say. "What's wrong?"

What's wrong. That was classic. He knew very well what was wrong. Leaving the house in the night without a word of where he was going was wrong. Sleeping by the side of the road next to a murder victim was wrong. Being the murderer of that person was wrong.

"Where have you been?" his mother asked. "I was so worried about you - I'm so relieved that you're okay. I thought - I thought -"

"Thought - what?"

"It was on the local news. They found a boy murdered on the side of the road! His body was all torn to pieces. They don't know who or what killed him. When I didn't find you at home, I thought it was you!"

Takumi's heart skipped a beat. When she said this, he thought she had suspected that Takumi had been the murderer. Then he realized that his mother had been worried that he was the boy who had been killed.

"What? Oh my gosh . . ." He tried to sound shocked, even though he had known about this before anyone else.

But it was shocking. Someone must have found the boy's body just minutes after Takumi fled the scene of the crime. But in that time, they also needed to report it to the police and the police needed to report it to the local news.

"_Just how much time has it been since I ran away?" he wondered. _He wish he had a watch on him, but he would never know for sure what time exactly he had woke up and saw the body himself.

"Come here, Takumi," said his mother, bringing him into the kitchen. "It's on Channel 5. Can you believe this? In our own town!"

"The body was found about 7:26 AM by a man in the area." Takumi managed to listen to the news reporter on television, who was interviewing an old man with a cowboy hat and very bad teeth.

"I was just out in ma'yard, when I see this feller on the ground . . . I wonder what he's up to, so I go look at him and then I see this blood . . . there were these claw marks, like it was made by some wild animal." Had it been another situation the scene would have been almost comical, the man looked like the stereotypical hick, but this was no laughing matter, even the man himself had a guilty look on his face, like he was the one who had committed the crime.

"A wild animal!" said Mrs. Hito. "What could it have been? _Is it still out there_?"

This was the oddest part of all.

"_If it's a wild animal, then it couldn't have been me!" _Takumi thought with a great sigh of relief. "_But then why was I on the ground right next to him? Had I been sleeping there? Why didn't the animal get me too?"_

Takumi's mother had her hand on her lips, wide-eyed at the screen. Then she turned to him and said, "Look, Takumi, don't you ever go out alone again. EVER." The last word she shouted, and Takumi could make out a note of panic in her voice.

"Well, this is certainly shocking, and not something that we think could happen in our own little community." The news reporter was back on, a professional-looking man with light brown hair and a large chin. "While we don't know who or _what_ did this terrible crime, we _do _know one thing - unless you're the parents of the boy who was tragically killed and whose name has not yet been released, it's probably best not to worry about it too much and to not let it affect our lives."

"WHAT!" Takumi's mother shouted.

"- nonetheless, a number of schools in the Bear Creek community have been closed for the day, with concern for the safety of the students and staff there in mind. For more of the latest news and reports, keep watching Channel 5. I'm Ryan Royama, and now we take a break for our sponsors."

"That's absolute lunacy!" said Mrs. Hito. "'Not let it affect our lives' - how are we supposed to do that? The murderer might be looking in the window right now!" She made a fearful glance behind her.

Takumi's school, Bear Creek Middle, had been included on the list of closed schools. Normally he would have been rejoicing, but the events of the last hour was nothing to be cheerful about. For one thing, even if he _wasn't_ the murderer - and that was something he still wasn't sure about - that meant there was still a killer out on the loose, whether it was man or animal, and that was hardly anything to be happy about.

The day was a long, weary, and confusing one, with Takumi constantly debating with his mind just what had happened the night before. To pass the time he read some of his books, tried to get a head start on the next chapter for math class, and watched some boring television - his mother absolutely forbid him to go outside even to get the mail.

In the afternoon Mrs. Hito called her son downstairs; they had finally released the name of the murdered boy. Takumi already knew it.

"Hiroshi Watanabe, age twelve," said the newscaster. It displayed a picture of him, and Takumi felt a mixed wave of hatred and satisfaction. The boy who had made fun of his tears the day before was now dead.

"Takumi! He went to your school. Did you know him?"

"Not really," Takumi replied, emotionless. "I saw him in the hall occasionally."

"Oh, I can't believe something like this happened," said Mrs. Hito, shaking her head and cupping her hands sadly. "Those poor parents! Oh, I hope they find out what happened to him and who killed him."

"Yeah," said Takumi, looking blankly into the eyes of the recently killed boy. There was nothing inside them that indicated that it was necessary for him to continue living. He had caused trouble for people on earth and he would not be missed.

The night was a sleepless one for the whole town, especially for Takumi, who could not make sense of it all. In between his thoughts of guilt and confusion, his mother kept inviting him to sleep on the floor in her room, but he refused. He tried to relieve himself of shame, trying to convince himself that he _couldn't _have been the murderer . . . he just didn't have the ability to kill another human being. And though sometimes he _wanted _to see someone dead, he didn't really have any malicious intent. He didn't _really_ have plans to kill them.

_I'm not a murderer, _he thought. _I'm peaceful._

And somehow he eventually drifted off to sleep. But he had no peace, he would not have peace for a long time.

"I had an idea that this would happen. I knew you couldn't be trusted, Stone."

"I - I'm sorry, Shadow. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen."

"Of course you didn't _mean _for it to happen! Nobody wanted it to happen! But it did, and that's all that matters."

There was silence.

"Why didn't you watch him more closely? You can't just use anyone! But we all know why. No matter how unbalanced he was, you still would have chosen him."

"This was just an anomaly," Stone said.

"An anomaly? An anomaly? How can you say that? He goes berserk right after we give it to him! This is not good, Stone. Not good at all. This had better be an anomaly. Otherwise, the only option we have is - death."

"D-death? You're not serious!"

"I'm serious. More serious than you were about being low-key. A murder by some wild animal! This will have the conspiracy theorists going wild. And might I remind you that this particular area has their attention?"

"Yes," said Stone. "I - I understand."

"Fortunately, we have Scavenge here. He will do his part. And you, Stone, you will have to do yours."

Scavenge nodded, and Shadow turned to the fourth member of the group, a woman.

"Seek . . . have you monitored his stress levels?"

"Yes. They are falling, much lower than they were before the transformation. We shall see if they will be heightened tomorrow . . ."

Shadow nodded. "If they are, Stone, you must be ready . . . _you must be ready_."

Suddenly Takumi felt heavier, and the four people disappeared as though he was waking up from a strange dream. Takumi would have dismissed it had the four people not visited him in his dreams the night before. Lots of strange things happened to Takumi, but recurring dreams were not one of them.

It was odd how sometimes his mind worked. Whenever he would wake up suddenly in the middle of the night, interesting thoughts and ideas would come to him, and they did this night.

_The wild animal. _He had seen that wild animal the night before. It was some sort of dragon. Could there be a creature like that living in the forests? Perhaps Takumi went to sleep while he was out on his walk and dreamed it all? No, that couldn't be the case, because if it was a dream, the boy wouldn't be dead. Maybe Takumi just witnessed the murder while he was going to sleep . . . or maybe . . . _Takumi had been the dragon. _He murdered the boy while he was a dragon. That would explain the claw marks . . . and the blood on his hand earlier in the day . . .

Though this seemed a logical, if bizarre conclusion, it did nothing to give him peace of mind. _If I really did do it, _Takumi thought, _then I _am _the murderer. But how? I don't remember a thing about being a dragon . . . does that make me_ _innocent? But what about the dragon? How did this happen?_

But these sudden revelations had tired his brain and drained him mentally, so he quickly dozed off.

"Takumi! Takumi!"  
Takumi sprang up from his bed within a second of hearing the shout. He breathed hard and heard his mother's voice.

"Are you all right, Takumi?" she asked.

"Um . . . yeah, I'm - fine," Takumi said, slightly confused. "Mom . . . what's wrong?"  
His mother sighed and stared out his bedroom window, as though she were waiting for something.

"I - I want you to be on time for your group," she explained.

"My - group?" Takumi asked, this time more confused than ever.

"Yes. You'll have to go back to school today, and they're assigning adults to guide children to their bus stops. Most of the parents are just dropping their kids off at the school . . . I - I wish I could do that, Takumi, but you know how busy I am." She said these words in a tone of voice that sounded as though she really cared, something Takumi rarely heard. "You're going with Mr. Felters. I ... I've packed all of your school things and I - I made you some breakfast."

Takumi stared hard at his mother's face, then looked down at the covers of the bed. His mother never made him breakfast.

His mother gave him a sincere look, and her eyes seemed like they were about to well up with tears. "Just come home safely, Takumi. Come home safely."

Takumi hated his bus stop, especially the kids he was forced to share it with. He hated Mr. Felters more, if only because he was a dork who always found the time to talk to Takumi's mother, who was polite but in no way reciprocated his advances. She had no reason to. He was a fairly chubby man with brown hair and worked in the sales department at the local shopping center. He always wore glasses and a turquoise shirt, and was the opposite of the "cool uncle". He had no friends, to be quite blunt, but always seemed oblivious to the fact that no one liked him. This was exemplified by his almost constant smile and his friendly wave, which he gave now to his "group".

"Hello, kids," he greeted, beaming at them. "Now now, there's no need to be frightened. Nobody's going to hurt you!"

Mr. Felters' words were anything but reassuring. A few kids stared hopelessly down at their shoes, probably wondering how very unfortunate it would be should the murderer decide to attack them; Mr. Felters was not a believer in violence.

As they walked along, Takumi wondered what the look on their faces would be if they knew that _he _had been the murderer. He forced a small grin on his face, but then it became a frown when he began to think of two nights ago. Then he felt sick and ashamed.

_I'm so confused, _he thought. _How could I have murdered somebody? I'm only thirteen years old! It just doesn't make any sense._ But lately logic and natural laws seemed to have no meaning; life went on with everyone in the dark.

The group came to a sudden stop when they reached a large sign.

"Winter Fields," Mr. Felters announced, and he frowned slightly. "But let's go down this road here - it's a little shortcut." He winked at the group, and he skipped across the street and began to walk in that direction.

It turned out that Mr. Felters' "shortcut" was really a "longcut". Takumi knew why he had avoided Winter Fields. Winter Fields was the area that he had been in when he transformed to that dragon and murdered the boy. Obviously Mr. Felters was trying to keep the subject out of the kid's minds, but it was quite obvious that he was worried himself, as he kept looking around with a troubled look on his face.

"Whoa!"

That was the cry of a boy about Takumi's age, maybe older, tripped and fell down on the sidewalk.

"Ow!" the boy groaned, holding his arm.

For some reason, perhaps the same reason why he grinned at the thought of being the murderer, Takumi laughed, which he tried to stifle. There was just something funny about pain being inflicted on one of his classmates through something as stupid as tripping and falling.

The boy who had tripped - who Takumi did not know very well but knew he hated - did not find it funny at all.

"What are you laughing at, queer?" the teenager asked him.

"Sorry," Takumi said, but him being angry at him only added to the humor of this scene, especially since everyone was watching him now.

"What, you think that's funny?" the boy demanded. "Do you think it'll be funny when I kick your ass?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, guys." That was the voice of Mr. Felters. "Let's not fight, okay boys?" And he separated both of them, but it didn't stop them from staring in anger at each other. Takumi didn't like it when people threatened him; he felt strongly like defying dumb Mr. Felters and giving the other boy a punch in the nose.

Then, a strange thing occurred.

Both boys began to glow - Takumi a red color, and the other boy in blue.

And then, he could feel it happening again. _The beast._ It was all coming back. The claws, the wings . . . everything.

The other boy was transforming too. Where once was the boy that had fallen was a large snow leopard. It had sharp fangs and looked like something from out of the Arctic region.

The two glowing animals stared in hatred at each other.

A scream echoed through the air. It came from the small group of children that watched the glowing figures, the group that Takumi and the other boy had been with. They ran away in fear, hardly thinking, running for their lives. However, there was still one person in the middle of the two glowing figures in the scene - Mr. Felters.

The man stared in wide-eyed horror at the large dragon and the ferocious snow leopard, looking from one to the other - as if in some kind of surreal dream.

The dragon opened his mouth and spewed fire.

The snow leopard countered with an ice beam.

Caught between two overwhelming attacks, Mr. Felters jumped into the air, but he was not quick enough. The fire struck him on one side, the freezing ice on the other, and he fell to the ground, ruined.

The two glowing figures prepared for battle. And with an extremely powerful force, both animals sprang high into the air and charged at each other . . .

_Next time on Digimon Genesis . . ._ _FIRE AND ICE AND NAOKI_

_As always, be sure to review! If you don't, I'll be grumpy._


	3. Fire and Ice and Naoki

_Last time on "Digimon Genesis" - Takumi realized that he had commited murder! He ran home, yet he was not convinced that he had actually done it. Later that night, he had a strange dream . . ._

The next day he woke up to his worried mother, who explained to him that he needed to be early to his "group", which was led by an adult to his bus stop, so that the streets would be secure.

There Takumi met a boy his age. After having a small argument, rage burned inside them, and they transformed to animals - Takumi being a dragon, and the other boy being a snow leopard. The rest of the group ran from the sight, leaving the two animals to settle their differences alone . . . 

****

DIGIMON GENESIS

CHAPTER 3

FIRE AND ICE AND NAOKI

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon. Digimon is owned by Akiyoshi Hongo, Bandai, Toei, and some other companies. There, I said it. Now I feel the urge to delete this whole disclaimer because no one ever reads it._

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A dragon . . . a snow leopard . . . eyes narrowed, claws tightened, charging at each other with rage in their hearts.

The dragon glided towards the animal below him, mouth opened, showing his sinister teeth, and for a split second it seemed as though it laughed in amusement. The snow leopard's eyes narrowed yet again, and the fierce animal charged at the other in a roar of domination.

The terrible dragon flew higher into the air, and the opposing animal's charge missed. The giant animal below him filled his eyes with hate.

_What's going on? _Takumi thought, but the thought was distant, and it seemed as though the dragon was trying to force the thought out of his head. _Am I . . . fighting?_

And then it appeared that the dragon was dominant again, and that Takumi had to struggle to get back in control. Takumi didn't want to . . . he knew he didn't have to . . . but he did it. How, even he didn't know, but it seemed normal, like instinct.

"Flame Rain!" he roared, and the dragon's horrible cry echoed. Suddenly, from the beast's wings came flames, and they came tumbling down upon the snow leopard.

The big cat's appearance changed from hate to shock, then to fright, and then to confidence. "Arctic Arrow!", was the cry that came from the snow leopard, and the flames that came from the dragon were absorbed into a bolt of ice. The ice arrow hit the winged dinosaur above on his head, and he fell to the ground, gasping.

The snow leopard wasted no time in getting to the scene. He walked timidly to the dragon, and every noise he heard he jumped. He looked around him, although he never took his eyes off the beast that lay on the ground in front of him. The snow leopard would have laughed a cackle of victory at the sight of the fallen dragon, but he did nothing but creep silently on the ground. When he got to the dragon, he walked slower than ever. If he knew that someone was watching him, he would have been quick . . .

The dragon moved slightly, when the cat was walking. He stopped with his paw in the air and he gazed around him. Again, he could find nothing . . .

After he was sure that the dragon wasn't going to wake up, he set his paw down. When he got to the dragon, he looked at him. There was an expression on the wolf's face. Was it sorrow? No. It was hate. He held out his paw. The claws were blue and sharp, and they loomed over the dragon's chest. The leopard put his claw high in the air. He was ready to strike. The claw seemed to grow even sharper than before. The claw then lowered, this time very fast, and then -

"Stop!"  
The snow leopard turned around and finally got a glimpse of what he was so nervous about. The fact that he might be discovered. His paw still raised, the wolf gazed at the one who had halted his attack in fear . . .

"Crystal Cloud!"

Then the snow leopard received what he had feared. A sparkling blue crystal bordered his body, and he was raised high in the air, controlled by the creature below him.

The creature wore a white cape, and his whole body seemed as though it had been in ice. He carried a staff, a staff that bared an image of a white sun. There also sat a hat atop his head, which was very big, so it hid the top of his face, and his cloak hid his mouth from view.

"Cease this battle!" the figure spoke. "There will be no real winner if you are found!"  


The wolf seemed to understand, although he tried to break from his icy prison.

"Now this will only take a minute -" the figure said, and he raised his staff. "Enchantment!" he shouted, and from the snow leopard came a square device. The device emerged from the ice prison, and the cat tried to follow it, as though to escape from the prison with it, but he could not go.

"Thank you," the white figure said, "Now where's that button - oh - here it is -" and he pressed a button on the device. Immediately, the snow leopard turned back into a boy again. The ice prison lowered with him, and then disappeared.

The white wizard then repeated the process with the dragon, and like the snow leopard, this animal turned back into a boy - Takumi.

The two boys looked surprised as they sat on the ground, no longer in hate, but in shock.

"Ah yes," the wizard said. "Here you are." And the two devices floated lightly to their respective owners.

Takumi held up the device and examined it. His mind was on what the device was, but on other things too. What had he just been doing? Where had he been?

"Uh -," he asked. "What are these?" And he held the device in his hand, expecting to see the wizard again, but when he peered up at the figure again, it had transformed into a boy. This boy was much smaller than Takumi, and by the looks of him, much younger. He had dirty blond hair and a cheerful face.

The two boys sat up and stared at the little boy, who didn't look very surprised. His face was still cheerful and calm.

"Hello, how are you?" he asked, smiling.

The two boys didn't answer, but the little boy didn't seem to expect a reply, because he jumped to the next question.

"Got into a little fight, didn't you?" he asked, still smiling.

Takumi turned to the other boy, and the other boy turned to him. Takumi didn't know what to expect, but they looked in shock at each other.

_Doesn't he realize that we were just in a battle? _Takumi wondered. But he didn't care. He was glad they weren't fighting.

"Um -," Takumi said, lost for words, "Y-yeah, we fought - I - I guess."  


"You guys need to learn to control yourselves," the little boy suggested, still smiling.

Takumi and the boy he had just fought with stared at each other again.

"B-but how?" the other boy spoke this time. He was lost for words too, Takumi noticed, and for some reason, that made him feel better.

The little kid smiled. "You were just itching for a fight, weren't you?"

Takumi looked at the other boy. He was staring curiously at the little kid.

"You know," the little boy said, still smiling, "These devices can really come in handy if you know how to work them." He flashed up a clear, green device.

Takumi gazed in shock. "But - I - I saw that device in the dream I had last night!" He stared at his own device, which was red.

"Dream you had last night?" The boy that Takumi had fought earlier looked up at him. "What was that about?"  


Takumi looked down at the sidewalk. "Well -" And he tried to remember the events that took place in his dream the night before. "There were these people - and they made _this _device." Takumi held up the red device.

The other boy was bewildered. "That - I had that same dream last night!" His blue eyes were wide-open in shock.

"It seems . . . " The little kid stepped between the two boys and held up his device. ". . . that a number of kids like us have been chosen to become Digimon."  


The other boy looked up from the device (which was blue), and stared down at the little kid. "Digimon?" he asked, puzzled.

"Digimon are those monsters you just turned into," the little kid explained. "It's short for digital monster - I - think - there are many types of Digimon - I turn into a digital monster called Sorcerimon . . . and . . . let me see . . ."  


He held up his device and examined it. "You -" And he pointed to the other boy. "You turn into a Digimon called Kibamon."  


"Kibamon?" the boy asked, calming down, but still slightly shocked.

"And you -" and this time the little boy pointed at Takumi, who stood eagerly on the grass. "You turn into Hiamon."  


Takumi looked up at the sky. "Hiamon," he said aloud, and he pictured the dragon.

"Um -" the other boy said, "How did you - uh - find this out?"  


The little kid smiled and held up his device. "This digital monster device can be very useful. With this, I can now see that your name is Ryota Surashi. Is that - right?"  
Ryota nodded.

"And your name -" he turned to Takumi - "Is Takumi Hito?"

Takumi nodded.

"You see," the little kid said, "To see a person's data, you just press _this _button -no, Takumi, that's the map button - there. Examine me." And the little kid smiled again.

Takumi pressed a button. "Naoki Reda," he muttered.

"Naoki Reda," Ryota said.

"That's me," Naoki said happily. "You know - ever since I was able to transform into a Digimon I've been very lonely - like I've had no friends. But now - I feel better. It's nice, to know that I'm not the only one." He smiled. "Unfortunately, this means that perhaps even more humans are able to turn into Digimon. And if we don't track these humans down - there could be serious trouble." His smile quickly faded and he shuddered. "You see - the only way to control the way the digital monster inside of us acts is to use these digital monster devices."  


"But -" Takumi interrupted. "How do we know, exactly, when to press the button on the device to control our anger? I've noticed that when I get really mad, I turn into a Digimon."  


Naoki looked thoughtful. "You'll know," he said. "Just - press the button on the device when you get mad, or stressed. It kind of - cools the Digimon inside our blood." Naoki looked up at a tree. There, birds were singing.

"Will you join me?" Naoki asked. "I - my mission is to help humans who can transform into Digimon control themselves. Then the world will be safer."  


Ryota looked at Takumi. "I'm in," he said.

"Me too," Takumi announced. "We'll assist you in finding the humans that can turn into Digimon!"  
Suddenly, a scream filled the air.

"Oh no!" Naoki shouted in panic. "They're coming."  
"Who?" Takumi asked, frantically.

"The police! I think they might have learned about the battle!" Naoki answered.

_That's right! _Takumi thought. _Those kids that were with us - they probably told their parents!  
_"Run!" Naoki screamed. "You can use your devices to transform! Just push the button!"  
A blue light filled the air and in Naoki's place stood Sorcerimon. Then he vanished.

Takumi pushed the button on his device, and so did Ryota, and in a minute in their places stood Hiamon and Kibamon. Kibamon ran off towards the forest at great speed. Hiamon flew into the air and soared high above the town.

Up and up the dragon rose, and Takumi felt his new body. He had transformed for the third time. But this time, it felt different. As though he was in control. And he was. He could feel the air against his mighty wings ...... the flying seemed natural, but it was really a new experience for him. He was suddenly reminded of his dream of flight only two mornings ago. But like the dream that he had, it was soon interrupted. The sound of sirens filled the air.

Takumi then realized that he was very easy to spot in the air and decided to fly down and transform back into a human, then take the forest path to his house.

He landed in a clearing and looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then transformed back into a human. Takumi felt his hands. They felt very different than that of the dragon's. And compared to flying, walking was very different. Takumi almost tripped several times on his way back home, he had forgotten that people had to move their feet to travel. But his human instinct seemed to come back when he came in sight of his house. Although he had been gone for less than an hour, he was happy that he was almost home. Even though there was nothing to be afraid of when you can transform into a huge, red dragon, Takumi felt much safer near the cozyness and warmth of his home. It seemed that nothing could threaten the smile on his face . . . until he remembered.

The glowing . . . the transformation to Hiamon and Kibamon . . . the kids in his group had witnessed it all.

__

Next time on Digimon Genesis!  
  
The decision that Takumi will make next time on Digimon Genesis could change his entire life. His choice: to go back home and hope that the kids didn't remember . . . or run away from it all and try to establish a new life on the streets of his city . . . will Takumi risk everything and reveal the secrets of the digital monster . . . or will he have to find a new solution? Find out on the next Digimon Genesis!


	4. The Mystery of Takumi's Father

_Takumi and another boy who was soon revealed to be named Ryota transformed into two Digimon: Hiamon and Kibamon. Kibamon was about to kill his opponent, but luckily, Sorcerimon, who actually turned out to be tame, was able to turn the two back into humans before terror came. Sorcerimon transformed back into a little boy named Naoki. Naoki said that they had been chosen to turn into Digimon, and some other kids might be able to do so as well. Naoki's goal was to hunt these hybrids down in order to make them tame before they could hurt anyone. After the two boys joined Naoki on his mission, they headed back home - where Takumi realized that some of his schoolmates had seen the transformations! And if they told news reporters, then it would eventually get around that Takumi had been a murderer!  
  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon. Digimon is owned by Akiyoshi Hongo, Bandai, Toei, ETC. Now you can't sue me. Ha._

DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER 4

THE MYSTERY OF TAKUMI'S FATHER

Fear was the emotion that flooded Takumi. The fear seemed to freeze time, he stood motionless. He didn't make a sound, unless you count his heart, beating rapidly inside his chest. The house, which seemed cozy and peaceful only seconds ago, was like a dark alley. The choices were simple: Go home and be discovered that you are really a dragon, or run away forever. The decision was completely one-sided. Be discovered, and so would several of his friends, who could also transform into creatures, called Digimon. Ryota and Naoki . . . they would be so mad at him. Going inside the house would be a selfish choice. Unfortunately, Takumi didn't think he could bare the fact that the only other choice was to run away forever and start a new life. There was one side of him that said that he should do one, and then another side said to do the opposite. Which is why he just stood there, frozen in place. But that wasn't a good choice either . . . for he was already in danger.

"Takumi!"

Takumi gasped and looked around. The sudden sound had made him jump in fright . . . a woman stood at the door of his house. His mother. And he should have been frightened. Because the last person he wanted to be calling his name at the moment was her.

_This is it, _Takumi thought. _If I run, then I may be able to escape. Now's my only chance. _Although his brain was focused on running, he found that his mother's tone was worried. If she had found out that he was really a dragon, then her voice would be angered . . . or would it? What if she was worried because she thought the police would take him away? Takumi cautiously stepped towards his house, his eyes focused on his mother. And then he saw her face. It was a relieved face, a joyful face. She clasped her hands together. No, this was not the worried expression. So he ran forward towards the house with more confidence.

"Mom," he managed to mutter.

"Oh Takumi!" she said, and she ran up to him and hugged him. "I'm so glad you're alright! The news - I've been - wondering - who - do you know - why - oh Takumi, I'm just so glad you're okay! You're safe! Come on inside the house - they're going to figure out who's been doing these crimes . . ." At this moment a sudden jolt of fear filled him. Although it was quite obvious that his mother had been worried, she spoke in a very confident voice when she had spoken her last sentence . . . she felt extremely confident that the person who had done it would be found.

Takumi and his mother walked into the house, his mother holding him in front of her and looking around, as though someone were about to take him. The news report on television was anything but reassuring.

"At around 8:00 this morning, a body of a middle-aged man was found. This man was later identified as Larry Felters, age 41, a mechanic that lived in the area. Apparently he was traveling with a group of kids this morning, guiding them to school. Felters, as well as several other adults, were required by the mayor to guide the children to school each morning until the criminal who had murdered a young boy was to be found. It seems that whoever killed Larry Felters turned up at the scene and scared away the group of children. Felters was the only one who did not run. It seems that the criminal killed Felters first, which was the reason the children ran. It is a very strange matter indeed, because third-degree burns were found on one side of his body, while on the other side seems to have been frozen."  


Takumi heaved a sigh of relief, but his mother didn't notice. She was staring wide-eyed at the television. "This just in -" And at these words Takumi flinched. "We have interviews with two of the eyewitnesses of the crime." He recognized two of the girls from his group, both blonde and slightly pretty, standing in a seat by another reporter.

"Do you know who killed Larry Felters?" the reporter asked. The two girls looked at each other. They seemed slightly puzzled.

"Felt her what?" one of the girls asked, dumbfounded.

"Larry Felters," the reporter repeated. "Do you know who killed him?"  


"No," the other responded. "Why?"  


The reporter then spoke in an impatient tone. "This is very important, girls. When you were traveling with your group in the morning? Someone killed the adult in the group. Who was it? If you can identify the criminal, you will earn thousands of dollars."  


"He died?" one of them said in a curious tone.

"Yes, he died!" the reporter said, in an impatient, loud voice.

"How?" the other asked.

"Somebody killed him!"  


"They did?"  


"Who?"  


"That's what we're trying to find out!"  


"We didn't see who it was."  


"Who were you running from, then?"  


"I -" at this moment, the girl paused. She turned to her companion, who looked just as puzzled as she did.

"This is giving me a headache," she replied.

"Obviously," the reporter said, now returning to the audience. "In their fright, they have forgotten some events. In a few days, we shall check up on them to see how they are doing. Now back to you, Ryan."  


"Thank you," Ryan the reporter said, "That's very . . . er - interesting. Until we find the murderer, residents of the Winter Meadow neighborhood should stay inside today. Every block of the neighborhood will be guarded by the police tomorrow morning. More news as events warrant. And now we return to our regular program."  


"Next on _Unsolved Mysteries . . ._ a young girl named Myra disappears . . ."

Takumi's mother paid no attention to the television as she spoke to him. "Takumi - listen to me. DO NOT go outside. You hear me? I don't want you outside all week."  


"What about - school?" Takumi muttered, but he didn't care much for school, he was quite happy.

"I don't care, Takumi," his mother replied. "I don't care if they have police guarding the streets - they had adults guarding the street this morning, and _now _look what happened." Her tone of voice suddenly changed at this point. "I can't lose you, Takumi - then I'd be all alone." Her voice was sad, and sounded lonely. "Your father - I'm sure he would say the same thing." She looked up at the ceiling. "Your father . . ."  


"Dad wouldn't want me missing school," Takumi said suddenly. "I think he would care about my grades."

"No he wouldn't!" Takumi's mom scolded. "He wouldn't want you to risk your life for school."  


Takumi sighed and looked down at the floor. "Well - I - I care about them. I mean - I just don't think I'm as good at school as well - as dad was. I just - I don't think I'm smart."  
His mother looked concerned, she turned off the television (which was telling of what the missing girl may look like if she were still alive now) and then turned to her son. 

"Takumi, you _are _smart. Don't let anyone try to tell you otherwise. Your dad was - very smart. I don't imagine he expected you to have spectacular grades. Einstein didn't have good grades, did he?"  


Takumi didn't reply.

"Well," his mother said, "What I'm trying to say is - you're not exactly like him. You're different than anyone else in the world. And that's what makes you special."  


Takumi looked up. _I wonder what you would say if you found out what I really was, _he thought in sadness.

Takumi's mom forced a smile, but it faded as she looked off in the distance. "We're all different. We each have our own destiny . . . your father's destiny began with getting good grades in school. Yes, he got good grades - and when he grew up, he became a medical researcher. He helped saved thousands of people's lives. He risked his own life for others, and because of that, he died." Tears filled her eyes for a moment. She wiped them with her sleeve.

Takumi became interested. "How did dad die?" he asked. It was strange, never before had he asked this question, he had never had a few minutes alone with his mother.

His mother didn't seem to hear. She kept on staring in the distance. "W-what?" she replied, and turned around, as though she knew he was asking a question all along and was thinking of something to say.

"How did dad die?" Takumi repeated, looking into his mother's eyes. They looked worried and tearful.

She hesitated. "He died -" and then she put her hand over her chin. "Of Ebola - I think. A disease in Africa. He tried to treat it - but - couldn't." She sighed and stared off into the distance again. "I - I lost contact with him late on in his trip. I think it was too late for him to respond." She sighed again. "Takumi?" she said suddenly. "I want you to know that - if you need someone - to talk to - then - you can talk to me. I'm your mom, Takumi. I may not always act like it - but - I am. Takumi, sometimes I get a little busy in my work. I abuse you . . . these murders - I hope this helps us realize that there are more important things out there than what we do everyday. I love you, Takumi."  


* * *

_So that's how he died, _Takumi thought as he stretched out on his bed, hugging his pillow. He had been thinking of the subject of his father's death for a long time now, but the rest of the town was surely focusing on the attacks, because none of the usual shouts and yells of the little children of the street were heard for the rest of the day. It felt odd, being in a quiet neighborhood, where in every house was noise.

__

Beep.

Takumi looked around. _Beep-beep. _The strange sound was heard again. It sounded like a watch, but it turned out to be the device - the Digivice that was in the boy's pocket. Realizing where the sound came from, he dug it up and sat it down on his bed.

_"Ta-ku-mi - can you read me?"_ It was Naoki's voice.

"Naoki!" he shouted in surprise and held the device in his hand. He pushed a button and then spoke "Naoki, I'm here."  


Naoki's voice changed into a happy voice, instead of the robotic one that was heard earlier. "Hello, Takumi. Good to hear from you again. I was just checking to see if you were all right - you're inside your house now, right?"  


"Right."  


"And no one saw me?"  


"Not that I know of."

"That's good. I'm sorry that I had to break up the group so soon. I hope you understand."  


"Don't worry, Naoki," Takumi said thoughtfully. "I understand. If it weren't for you, the police would have found us."  


"Yes. And I just remembered something at that moment," Naoki replied.

"What?"

"When you were fighting, my digivice found your signal, and I rushed over to the scene. Some kids were running from it, but I paid no attention, I tried to stop you two from fighting. When the police came, I remembered -"  


"Remembered what?"  


"That the kids had seen you transform."  


"Oh - yeah - I found that out too."  


"Yes," Naoki answered, "So I teleported to where the kids were and put an Amnesia Charm on each one."  


"You what?!" Takumi exclaimed.

"An Amnesia Charm," Naoki repeated. "It makes you forget a couple of minutes - so I erased the fight from their memory. Amnesia Charms are very tricky - I've only tried it on my pet goldfish, but nothing he can remember is important anyway - so I guess I was lucky this time."  


"So that's why those kids acted like they didn't know anything," Takumi said.

"What kids?"  


"There were kids on television who were interviewed and asked about the murder this morning. Those kids in my group. They couldn't remember a thing. Well, it's been nice talking to you."  


"No - wait!" Naoki answered frantically. "This is important. We don't need to go after the humans who can turn into Digimon."  


Takumi was startled. "What do you mean? If we don't stop them, they may hurt other people!" What was Naoki thinking?  


"No, no, no," Naoki replied, somewhat irritated. "You're not getting the point. It's the _people _themselves we need to worry about. I believe that the people in our dreams - those scientists - all chose us to become Digimon."  


Takumi looked surprised. Those people - yes, those people were the ones who had chose them.

"It's just too odd," Naoki continued, "to be a coincidence. You, Ryota, and me all have had the same dreams - the dreams with those scientists. _They're _the reason why we have these powers. _They're _the reason why two people were murdered in the last week. I think they're going to keep trying to make kids be able to transform into Digimon. And if they don't stop, they'll be the reason why the whole country will be destroyed. Just think of all the kids that may already be diagnosed with those powers . . . Takumi, I haven't realized how serious this is until now . . . we have to find these people now. As soon as we're allowed back on the roads . . . we'll begin our search . . . I have to go now . . . good-bye, Takumi . . ."  


"Good-bye, Naoki," he replied, and was about to turn off the Digivice when a surprised cry called out from it.

"Hold on, Takumi!" the voice shouted, and it was Naoki's again. "Takumi . . . I've just discovered another human that can turn into a Digimon in the area . . . Takumi . . . sneak out of the house! Come quick!"  


But Takumi didn't need directions from Naoki. He was already on his way there. He opened the window, climbed down a tall tree, jumped to the ground, and ran to the area his Digivice signaled.

He looked around. _Nothing. _It was sort of odd, being the only one on the street that day, when it was usually packed with cars, little kids, and bicycles . . . but Takumi was the only one. No noises were made, except for the rustling of the leaves on the trees. He suddenly felt unsafe . . . nothing was this quiet . . . it was _too _quiet . . . and he was right. For behind him came a gigantic flower with a face and huge Venus-flytrap like things sprouting from her arms - the Venus fly-traps opened up and red tongues came out . . . like snakes. Takumi screamed, and suddenly the silence was broken.

_Next time on Digimon Genesis! Even the combined attacks of Hiamon, Kibamon, and Sorcerimon cannot put an end to this flower monster's powerful techniques! Will a new hero step up to the plate to challenge this monster? Find out next time on Digimon Genesis:  
  
FORESHADOWING OF DEATH_


	5. Foreshadowing of Death

__

Last time on Digimon Genesis!  
  
Takumi returned home to his worried mother - who was not as worried as he was. Some children on television may have seen Takumi transform into the dragon monster ... but luckily, they had become injected with an Amnesia Charm used by Sorcerimon.  
Naoki told Takumi that there was another digital human nearby, and he rushed off and found a giant plant Digimon!  
  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon, but if I did, Hiamon would have a very detailed digivolution sequence.  
  
**DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER 5  
FORESHADOWING OF DEATH**  
  
Takumi screamed, and the rest of the world would have done the same if they saw the same things that he saw - the gigantic plant Digimon. Venus fly-trap arms . . . with snake tongues coming from their openings . . . and although a flower would look quite pretty, the Digimon's face was anything but that - the razor-sharp petals surrounded it. This plant monster was certainly not something to mess with, not even with a ten-foot pole.  
  
But it was not a pole that saved Takumi from this menacing beast, but the small, red device that he carried around with him. He had recieved it only two days ago, and learned how to work it only one day previous, but a human with that particular device in hand could be more dangerous than the plant monster that Takumi now faced.  
  
He pressed a button on the device - and suddenly the boy began to glow the color of the device - the device known as the D-Monster. And the name of the device was fitting, because it transformed it's owner into - a Digimon!  
  
"D-Monster - activate!"  
  
The red glow faded away, and in the lad's place was a dragon. A huge horn was on the dragon's forehead. It's large fangs reflected off the burning sun. A tail was revealed, and the dragon of a thousand armies emerged - Hiamon! If one compared the dragon and the plant, they would probably be unable to decide which one was more intimidating. Of course, this matter of opinion would be based on looks - and as you may have heard, don't judge a book by it's cover. The illustration on the cover would be wonderful - a magnificent piece of art. But on the inside - it was even better! The same could be said for Hiamon. A scary-looking monster on the outside - and on the inside - boiling fire, which emitted from his gigantic wings! That was the technique that he used against the plant monster.  
  
"Flame Rain!" Hiamon shouted, and from his wings came what looked like rain . . . but it was much larger, and instead of water, it was made of fire. The flames rapidly fired themselves at the plant beast, but the opponent had a counter attack . . .  
  
"Horrid Soil!" it screamed, and it was a raspy voice, like the sound of a witch. Suddenly, vines with huge thorns covered the creature, like a shield. The fire bounced off of the vines . . . and threw itself right at Hiamon.  
  
"Augh!" Hiamon shouted at this unexpected turn of events. The blast of flames knocked him down at the plant monster's   
mercy.  
  
The creature loomed over Hiamon, who lay flat on the ground, eyes closed, trying to get up. He could hear the plant monster cackling, and immediately he knew why the plant creature was laughing - it had declared victory. Soon it would end - all of it would end ...  
  
"Crystal Cloud!"  
  
A scream echoed through the air, but it wasn't Hiamon's, it was the plant Digimon. A lightning bolt hit the creature. Then, ice covered the body of the plant monster for a split-second, then faded away. The monster seemed weakened, and then fell to the ground with a deafening thud.  
  
Hiamon managed to open his eyes to look at the sight. It was Sorcerimon! His friend had finally come to help him.  
  
"Hiamon," Sorcerimon said, in an attempt to wake him up.  
  
"I - I'm here, Naoki," Hiamon gasped.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
"I'll - I'll be okay, now that you're here," Hiamon said, and he stood up and flew to where Sorcerimon was in the air.  
  
"That's good," was the reply, and he pressed a button on his D-Monster. "Hmm. It seems the monster we're battling is named Jikimon. Champion level - don't know what that means - virus type - don't know what that means either - a plant type Digimon. It's special attacks are Horrid Soil and Energy Absorption."  
  
"Energy Absorption?" Hiamon asked. "What does that do?"  
  
"I have no idea," Sorcerimon replied. "But we'll soon find out."  
  
And the latter was right, for Jikimon seemed to regain conciousness and stood up as if it hadn't ever been weakened, and at that moment, the monster yelled "Energy Absorption!"  
  
Takumi and Naoki, as Hiamon and Sorcerimon, then learned the effect of the attack, and it wasn't one they would soon forget. The venus fly-trap arms of the plant opened, and out came the hideous snake tongues. The arms opened wider - and wider - then, a suction noise was made.  
  
Hiamon and Sorcerimon stood there, confused, wondering what happened. And then they realized it - Jikimon had drained them of their power!  
  
"Augh!" Hiamon moaned. "I - can't move . . ."  
"So that's what the attack does . . ." Sorcerimon, sounding very weak, but interested.  
  
But wait!  
  
"It's not done yet!"  
  
And then came the full effect of Jikimon's Energy Absorbtion attack . . . it fired beams at them which no doubt contained their own energy.  
  
Hiamon and Sorcerimon could have avoided the attack if they had moved fast enough, but because of their energy being absorbed they were too sluggish. Instead, they just stood there, transfixed at the attack, until it hit them. The blow was followed by a series of shouts as they fell, then hit the ground.  
  
"Hahaha!" Jikimon cackled again, very much amused with the victims that had fell before her.  
  
As for the other Digimon, they just layed on the ground, and if one passed by they may have assumed that the two were dead. But they weren't, instead, they hung on to life, rather than just die, they faced the horrors of the pain that came before death - the pain that makes you think that nothing more worse could happen, but eventually came.  
  
And the more worse did come - for at that moment Jikimon shouted again "Energy Absorption!"  
  
The words made the two Digimon gasp in horror. They knew they could not withstand the deadly attack again . . . they waited . . . they heard the sounds of the venus fly-trap arms open . . . the sound of the snake tongues coming out . . . the sound of their hisses . . . and finally . . .  
  
"Rah!" . . . a kick at Jikimon's head.  
  
"Ugh!" the voice that was of Jikimon's yelled, as it fell to the ground again . . . and then came the terrible sucking noise . . . but Hiamon and Sorcerimon did not feel it. They looked up, in wonder to when the attack would come. And it did . . . but it didn't come their way. Instead, it went in the direction of the sky, and the attack had no effect. The plant had fell backwards . . . and that had been the work of . . .  
  
"Ryota!"  
  
Sure enough, Ryota was there, in his monster mode, the Digimon known as Kibamon! A demon beast type Digimon, data type, champion level . . . his special attack was Animal Martial Arts and . . .  
  
"Arctic Arrow!" Kibamon roared, and a blue arrow came from his mouth, which hit Jikimon with a zap. The attack seemed to wake the plant beast up, and sure enough the monster rose again.  
  
Then . . . Jikimon's venus fly-traps arms opened again, then revealed the tongues . . .  
  
"Kibamon!" Takuya cried, as Hiamon. "Hurry! Attack from behind, quick!"  
  
Ryota payed attention to this and using his amazing snow leopard body, jumped from the attack just in time and landed behind Jikimon. Kibamon then noticed something - that once Jikimon started using the Energy Absorption, it didn't stop!  
  
"Animal Martial Arts!" he shouted, and he headbutted the plant monster for a while, which lost it's balance and almost fell. Taking advantage of this, Kibamon jumped and kicked Jikimon high into the air, then jumped again. The plant beast fell, but the damage taken by the fall was increased by a body slam that Kibamon performed.  
  
"Augh!" Jikimon screamed as she hit the ground with a hard thud that shook the ground. Kibamon also fell, but landed on all fours with ease. He looked at the fallen plant beast. Was it still alive? Yes, but the fall had done a lot of damage, and the monster seemed paralyzed. But something more important was discovered. Jikimon's D-Monster device! After the device was found, Kibamon pressed the button on his own device with his paw and transformed back to a human - back to Ryota. The boy surveyed the D-Monster with interest. It was yellow and the same shape as the other devices. But his attention was then drawn to the plant monster, who moaned. Without hesitation, Ryota pressed the top button on the device.  
  
The hideous plant monster glowed yellow, and then shrank to a much smaller size, but Takumi could see that the person that was revealed in place of Jikimon was much taller than he was.  
  
Ryota ran to the person and looked down. "Uh - are you alright?" he asked, blushing, because he realized that the human laying down in front of him was a girl, and it looked as though she was much older than him, for that matter.  
  
"Huh?" she said, and she looked up at him, and Ryota got a better view of her. She had long, dirty-blonde hair, earrings, and a hint of makeup. "I'm - fine."  
  
"That's good," Ryota replied.  
  
The girl giggled.  
  
"What?" Ryota asked, annoyed.  
  
"You're pretty cute. What's your name?" the girl asked.  
  
"Uh -" he said, with a hint of annoyance in his tone. "Ryota."  
  
"And what's your last name?"  
  
"Surashi."  
  
"Ryota Surashi . . ." the girl chanted, "Ryota Surashi . . .   
what school do you go to?"  
  
"Dah . . ." Ryota said. "East Yokohama Middle School."  
  
"What grade are you in?" the girl giggled.  
  
"Seventh," was the reply, and that answer was the most effective on the girl.  
  
"Seventh?" she asked gloomily. "Oh. You're pretty cute for a seventh grader."  
  
Ryota was annoyed, but didn't show it. "Yeah, well, we've got something more important on our hands. Guys?" Ryota said, turning to the two others, expecting to see Digimon, but they had already changed back to human.  
  
"You," Naoki said. "Have been chosen to -"  
  
"Oh!" the girl shrieked, pointing at Naoki with a hungry sort of expression on her face. "Look at him! He's so little! But he's so cute! Oh, I just want to cuddle him up!"  
  
Naoki seemed quite uncomfortable being talked to in this way, so he asked Takumi to help explain.  
  
"We've all been chosen to turn into Digimon - digital creatures. You can turn into a plant monster - Jikimon."  
  
"Jiki what?" the girl asked, puzzled. "Jigsaw?"  
  
"No!" Takumi shouted, impatient. "That's just the name of the Digimon you turn into. As I was _saying,_ you can turn into a Digimon. A plant Digimon."  
  
"_ I_ turn into a _plant_?"  
  
"Yes!" Takumi shouted. "Don't you remember anything that just happened?"  
  
"Well," the girl replied, and it actually appeared that she was thinking, "I do remember . . . some kind of cat . . ."  
  
"That would be Ryota," Takumi said. "Ryota can turn into a snow leopard Digimon named Kibamon."  
  
"Kibamon. I like that name," the girl said.  
  
"Yes - and you almost -"  
  
"_ Kibamon,_" the girl said.  
  
"You almost killed us, but luckily Ryota -"  
  
"_ Kibamon_."  
  
"But luckily -"  
  
"_ Kibamon_."  
  
"Argh!" Takumi shouted. "Would you please shut up?! I'm trying to explain something here!"  
  
The girl stopped chanting Kibamon's name and looked angrily at Takumi. "What did you just say, _little boy_?" she said. "Did you just tell _me_ to 'shut up'? For your information, _little boy,_ I am much older than you and I demand respect."  
  
"Okay!" Takumi shouted. "I'll give it to you if you just stop interrupting. And please don't call me little boy . . ."  
  
"Well, you can call me by my name then. My name is Miho Sugiyama. And don't you forget it, _little boy_."  
  
Takumi was greatly annoyed, but continued to explain. "We are given the power to transform into Digimon. Sometimes we randomly turn into Digimon. I don't know why, but we can control ourselves using these devices." Takumi showed his own, and Ryota gave Miho her own.  
  
"Ooh!" Miho cried. "What does this button -"  
  
"No!" Takumi shouted. "Don't touch that! That'll transform you into a Digimon!"  
  
"And what's wrong with that?"  
  
"Your secret will be revealed and they'll lock you up in a cage like a wild animal! You've got to keep this a secret. Okay?"  
  
"Uh - sure - but - how did I become a Digimon?"  
  
"We don't know. But a group of people chose us. We all had the same dream - like we were in some sort of lab, and these people were doing experiments on us. We think these are the people that transformed us into Digimon. Have you - had any of these dreams?"  
  
"Come to mention it," Miho said, "I had a dream yesterday. It was weird - there were these people - and they made me a device."  
  
"That's the dream, alright!" Naoki said. "Can you identify any of the people?"  
  
"No," Miho replied. "So why does that matter?"  
  
"Everything about it matters!" Takumi cried. "If you can identify the people, we can find everyone who can transform into a Digimon and let them know how to control their powers. And if we don't - then the world may be doomed."  
  
Miho looked down at the ground.  
  
"So - will you help us, Miho? Help us find these people, and everyone who can turn into a Digimon?"  
  
Miho looked up. "Sure! I'll track down everyone. I'll help you."  
  
"You sure are easy to persuade," Takumi said, which resulted in a punch from Miho.  
  
"Okay," Naoki said. "Use this device to help you. Press this button to see a map - no, not that button, that's the analyzer button - _that button_. This button lets you see any other digital humans in the area. If you can find these humans, contact them immediately and let them know of their powers. And this is the analyzer button - no, that's the time button, you had it a minute ago - there. The analyzer button. Use this to see information on a digital human or a Digimon."  
  
"Ooh!" Miho shrieked, and she immediately scanned Ryota, who wasn't the least bit comfortable with being scanned.  
  
"Ryota Surashi," Miho read, smiling. "Age 12," and then "Naoki Reda, age 8," and then "Takumi Hito, age 12."  
  
"Ryota!" Miho cried. "Scan me!"  
  
"Uh - okay," Ryota said. "Miho Sugiyama, age 14."  
  
"Now you know all there is we learned so far," Takumi said. "We need to go. We can't stay here too long, or our parents will get suspicious. What time is it?"  
  
"Let me check!" Miho volunteered. "What button is it again?"  
  
"That one," Naoki pointed, "No, no, no, not that button, that's the contact button - that button."  
  
"It's - 3:40!"  
  
Everyone gasped, except Miho. "I didn't realize we've been gone so long," Naoki said. "It's time to go home." He turned to Miho. "Oh yes, and Miho?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Do not let anyone know about this. Don't transform unless you really need to."  
  
"Okay," Miho shrugged, and skipped down the street.  
  
Naoki and Takumi walked down the street together, as Ryota and Miho walked the other way.  
  
"Do you really think she can be trusted?" Takumi asked as he made his way towards his house.  
  
"We're going to have to. She's one of us now," was the reply, and the two silently walked the streets of the quiet neighborhood.  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
_Next time on Digimon Genesis!  
  
Special arrangements have been made so that schools can open! It's back to a normal life for Takumi in his friends. But not for long! Even in the orderly halls of the campus, danger is still around! What troubles await the chosen children? Find out next time on Digimon Genesis:  
  
AGAINST REALITY_


	6. Against Reality

_Previously on Digimon Genesis, Hiamon and Sorcerimon set out to battle the plant monster, Jikimon, but it's attacks were too much for them! If not for the arrival of Ryota in his Digimon form of Kibamon, the two monsters would be finished. After Kibamon defeated the plant monster, it reverted back to a human girl - a girl named Miho. They explained to them that she must keep the secret, then headed back to their homes._

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon, or any of the companies involved with the making of it's products. In fact, I don't own any major companies . . . this disclaimer has awakened my sad, dark heart . . .

****

DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER VI  
AGAINST REALITY

"Darn, nothing in the closet. Guess I'll have to wear the clothes I wore yesterday."  
Takumi Hito slipped on his jean shorts, which he had made himself by taking an old pair of jeans and cutting the bottom of it off. His mother had bought him some shorts years ago, but he had outgrown them, and his parent couldn't afford to buy anymore. That was okay with him, he still had a variety of clothes in his wardrobe.

He looked in the mirror at his untidy hair. His mother often remarked that his hair "went everywhere" after he woke up. He tried to comb it, but in vain, so he went to the bathroom and wet it. Afterwards, he was able to comb his hair more efficiently. The boy collected his book bag and ran downstairs. He had slept well that night, so he had woken up at six-fifteen. This surprised his mother, who was already drinking coffee downstairs.

"Good morning, Takumi," she greeted him. He noticed that she was all dressed up. "I'm going to be going to work early today. With all those murders, I've not been able to go to my office. I'm really behind at work. There's a piece of toast all ready for you in the toaster. And the orange juice is in the refrigerator. So help yourself." She picked up her wallet, which lay on the counter. "And Takumi," she whispered. "Please, please, _please _be safe. I couldn't bare it if something happened to you." Her expression was worried.

"Mom, don't worry," he reassured. "You said yourself that you felt more comfortable now that the police are guarding the streets. Nothing's going to happen to me."

She sighed. "I know," she said quietly. "The murderer isn't going to be hanging out when there's a policeman at every corner. Still, I wish I could go with you." She looked hard into Takumi's eyes. "I hope you understand, Takumi. Please be safe." She walked towards the door, still her eyes on her son. "Please be safe," she repeated. "I love you." And then she opened the door and disappeared into her car. Takumi watched as she drove away.

Of course, Takumi had lied. There _was _something to worry about. However, it wasn't the unshaven, dirty criminal that people imagined, it was really a monster. A digital monster, to be exact, a Digimon. Takumi himself was a Digimon - and so were his friends, Naoki, Ryota, and a girl named Miho. But they were able to control their powers so they wouldn't be able to hurt people. There must be more out there, ones that could do harm. And it was up to Takumi and his friends to hunt down the rest of the Digimon, and the bunch of people who had diagnosed them with their power to transform into them.

It had been a strange last three days, so he was happy to have learned that the police were now guarding the streets and that schools would re-open today. The schools had been closed the last two days because someone had murdered a boy and a man. The real murderer was Takumi, but it hadn't been his fault. He wasn't able to control the Digimon inside of him. Luckily, his friend Naoki told him how to stop from harming others.

It was reassuring that although Takumi could turn into a Digimon, he was back to a normal life - or so it seemed. Because sometimes when you can pretend there's nothing wrong, the worst creeps through and finds you . . .

* * *  
  
That's what happened with Takumi's principal, Mrs. Falle. Takumi was somewhat hoping to hear the news about the murder, but he reminded himself that the principal was likely not to speak a word of it. The announcements went as follows:  
  
"Welcome to Yokohama Elementary School on this beautiful morning," Mrs. Falle began. Takumi looked out the window and saw that it was very cloudy. "Doesn't it feel great to be back in school?" A couple of the kids in Takumi's class groaned. "And what better way to start the week again than with some school lunch?" she continued. This time, _all _of the class groaned. "Today we will be serving chicken pot pie, mashed potatoes, green beans, and manager's choice. That sounds delicious!" She then made a very fake "mmm-mmm". "On another note, the school band will meet today in the trailer behind the bus parking lot. That's all we have for our morning announcements. Remember - think positive, work hard and have a great day."

Takumi's teacher, Miss Andrews, peered up at the speaker system hopefully, as if expecting some news. Takumi knew what she was expecting, but what she did never came, for the speaker system beeped to indicate that it was the end of the announcements.

Miss Andrews sat on her old blue chair that was in the middle of the room. She then combed her hair with her hand, then looked at the class in front of her. She sighed stressfully and then looked thoughtful at the students.

"Since your principal is trying to isolate you from the rest of the world, let me explain," she began. Miss Andrews was right. The principal had an unbreakable habit of trying to keep things under wraps when in school. In fact, when Takumi was in kindergarten, an old building about two blocks away had been bombed and several people were injured, Mrs. Falle didn't speak a word of it on the announcements. She even reminded all teachers not to turn on their radios, in fear that the children might hear. Why she had been trying to keep this a secret until the students got home was questionable, because it only angered Takumi's mother. The next morning, she sent home a letter to the principal complaining about her ways. Mrs. Falle had not since broken this habit, and there was sure to be many crude letters sent to her the following day. "As you may have already heard, a boy who went to this school was killed about three days ago. His name was Hiroshi Watanabe. I'm very sorry if you were his friend. Another man was killed the next day - no, Chiaki, he did _not _set fire to the guy's pants! That's a detention for you. Anyway, his name was Mr. Felters. Some of you may have known him - _stop talking._ We have now set standards in order to "encourage the safety of our children". We have set police officers at every street corner, and I want you all to understand that we have policemen in the halls as well. You can be sure that you are safe."

While Miss Andrews sounded very confident, a few kids in the class looked worried.

"But I can ensure you that no foolishness will be accepted in spite of the murders," Miss Andrews said sternly, with a sharp look at Chiaki. "Anyone who acts up will be punished. Is that understood?"  
The class nodded, with a small "yes" in return, while Chiaki performed an "Mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm," but his teacher didn't notice him.

"Now," Miss Andrews replied, "We'll start the day with some Language Arts. Today we'll learn more about verbs and using them with strong adjectives. Who can name me some verbs?"  
"Takashi?"  
"Um . . . ran?"  
"Good. Masami?"  
"Uh . . . drove?"  
"Good. Yuuko?" she said, gazing at the "teacher's pet" with excitement.

"Pedaled!"  
"_Very _good, Yuuko!" Miss Andrews replied enthusiastically, with an affectionate smile, and the teacher's pet drove in another point.

Chiaki waved his hand high in the air, gasping for attention. His teacher looked at him with surprise. "Well, Chiaki, I'm glad to see you volunteered. What verb do you have?"  
"Poop!" he replied, and the whole class burst with laughter. "It's also a palindrome!" he said over the uproar of the students.

"Chiaki, you're -" But before she could assign unmistakably another detention to the class clown, the door opened, revealing Takumi's P.E. teacher.

Takumi was surprised to see him, he usually was never outside the gym. The gym teacher was tall and thin, with brown hair and blue eyes. Naturally, Miss Andrews adored him - that lean body, that perfect haircut, those blue eyes - they were too much for her. So she pretended as though nothing had just happened.

"Yes, Satoshi?" she asked dreamily.

"Miss Andrews," he said, and Takumi could tell that she didn't like him calling her that, "I need a word with you - outside -" He motioned toward the door. The teacher nodded in agreement and while departing with her crush, looked over at her class in worry. Were they to interrupt the minute she stepped outside?  
Sure enough, the very second that the door slammed shut, the class exploded with mindless chatter. Having the loudest voice, Chiaki was unsurprisingly able to get the student's attention. "I'm going to hide in Miss Andrew's closet," he said, and the rest of the boys cheered with enthusiasm.

Miss Andrew's closet was inside of the classroom. It was an old, dusty place, which contained old textbooks, science materials, rulers, calculators, and boxes full of papers. The teacher seldom used it and barely noticed it.

With the caution of a troublemaker, Chiaki opened the door. Instantly the smell of dust entered the classroom. Chiaki crept in and shut the door behind him loudly.

Takumi watched with amusement. It seemed as though the days of no school had side-tracked what little brains that the troublemaker had. Chiaki usually got in trouble, daily. This, among with other problems, caused Miss Andrews's stress levels to go over the top. She often felt she was very unlucky to have the troublemaker in her class. There was a troublemaker in every class, but Miss Andrews felt that she had got stuck with the loudest, the slyest, most heinous troublemaker ever.

Suddenly the classroom door opened and the class's teacher walked inside. The children's heads all turned at once, and the entirety of the students could not keep their faces straight. "Takumi," Miss Andrews said, and he was very surprised to hear his name. "You have an appointment at guidance, with the counselor, Mr. Shale."

Takumi obediently got out of his seat without questions, although he had many oozing in his head. "Where's Chiaki?" Miss Andrews asked as Takumi departed from the room. He was glad he was excused from class, but regretted that he wouldn't be able to witness Chiaki's grand scheme. However, more thoughts were at his attention. Why was he being called in for guidance? He had not choose to do this, and furthermore, he knew nothing of Mr. Shale except for his job as school counselor.

Mr. Shale's office was on the second floor of the school, the same floor where Takumi normally had his classes. He had passed by the counselor's office many times when on campus, but the door had often been shut. So, the trip to the office was nothing out of the ordinary, except walking into it. He stopped to let a long-haired man pass down the hall, then entered the small room.

The minute he set his foot into the counselor's office, he heard roars undoubtedly coming from Miss Andrew's room, as well as hoarse shouts. Takumi would have loved to have been there, but dismissed the thought from his mind when he saw Mr. Shale. He was a middle-aged man with short, jet-black hair. After meddling with something that looked quite like a walkie-talkie, he smiled as his patient entered the room. "Hello," he said casually, with a smile. "You must be Takumi Hito."  
"That's right," Takumi responded. He was always shy when meeting new people, and being in a new place. Mr. Shale and his office was no exception. On the walls of his tiny room were neat plaques. A bookshelf was on one side of the room, containing many different books. Mr. Shale was sitting behind his desk, a radiant little table which was covered with all sorts of paperwork.

"Oh, sorry," the counselor said, and he removed the papers from atop his desk. "I'm very disorganized. I'll just put these on the floor." And he set them down in a disorderly pile. He smiled at Takumi again. "Come, sit down," he said politely. "I'm sure you don't want to stand up. Besides, sitting down can relax one's mind."  
Takumi did as he was instructed, and found out that Mr. Shale was right, he felt more relaxed by sitting down. He also realized that he liked Mr. Shale, even though it was only half a minute with him. He seemed very polite and very caring from what he had seen so far, instead of the loud, concerned man that he was expecting.

"And your name -" Mr. Shale said. "Is Takumi Hito. Is that correct?"  
Takumi nodded.

"And my name," the counselor continued. "Is Mr. Shale. I'm the school counselor."  
"Yes," Takumi replied. "I know that."  
"Good, good," the man said in return. "That will help. You're probably wondering why you're here."  
"Yes, sir," the interested sixth-grader replied.

"Well," Mr. Shale continued, "You're here because, lately, you haven't focused your attention on your conduct. Miss Andrews and your gym teacher asked me to consult you. You see, sometimes you don't do well in school because you're worried about something or keeping something bottled up inside. Through counseling, we can both understand each other more."  
"W-You're not going to say anything about this conference to the rest of the teachers, will you?" Takumi interrupted.

"Don't worry," Mr. Shale said. "Anything you say will not be released to the public. Unless it's something very serious, like say, you, well, let's say you tell me you want to bring a gun to school tomorrow and shoot people. Then I'd have to report that. But if it's something like a divorce or some sort of tragedy that you're going through in your life, then I'm not allowed to tell anyone - unless you ask me to, of course. It's my job." He smiled.

_Great, _Takumi thought. _How is he supposed to understand that I can turn into a Digimon?_ Of course, this wasn't the reason why Takumi had failed the test and was late for gym class on the last day he had gone to school. He was mad because . . . he was struggling. Struggling to survive in a single-parent home, struggling to pass the sixth grade . . .

"Now," Mr. Shale said, "You don't have any siblings, do you?"  
"No," was the reply.

"And . . . you only live with your mother, right?"

"Right."  
"Is your father divorced?"  
"He died a long time ago," Takumi said sadly.

"Oh," Mr. Shale said sympathetically. "I'm sorry."

"That's alright. I barely remember him," the student replied.

"Alright," Mr. Shale nodded. "Then - think for a moment. What is the thing that is troubling you?"  
_The thing that is troubling most, _Takumi thought, _Is that I can turn into a Digimon and the world may be in danger if I don't act. No, I can't say that to Mr. Shale. Alright . . . something else that's troubling me . . . my mother. Yes, that's it. He'll probably buy that._

"The one thing," Takumi said. "That is troubling me is my mother."  
Mr. Shale looked thoughtful. "Now, why does this trouble you?"  
"Well," Takumi said, trying to find a good excuse, "She works all the time and I don't feel we're close enough. Like we're not a family."  
_Good, _he thought. _That wasn't a lie. _And it wasn't.

"I see," the counselor replied. "Now, tell me some ways that you can interact with your mother. Think for a moment . . . don't rush your thoughts . . ."

"Um . . ." Takumi uttered after a few seconds of thinking. "Maybe I should talk to her about my day at school."  
He had been thinking so much that he neglected the fact that Mr. Shale was writing notes with a pencil. "That's a good idea," he said. "But maybe you should also tell her that you love her. The truth is, Takumi, she loves you, too. She may not always show it . . . but she does. Do you know why she works so many hours at the office?"

Takumi didn't answer.

"She wants you to have a good life, Takumi. She doesn't want to be poor. If she didn't love you, why, you wouldn't be in the house you live in now."  
Takumi still didn't answer, he was too busy thinking.

"Takumi," Mr. Shale said, trying to get his attention. "I want to ask you a question. When your father was alive, were you closer to your mother?"  
He looked up. This had never occurred to him. "Let me think," he said, acknowledging the fact that he was paying attention. "Well," Takumi explained quietly, "I remember she was really nice. She used to always play with me when I was little."  
_It's really sad, _Takumi thought, _how a person can change in such a short amount of time._

"And let me ask you something else," Mr. Shale continued. "Did she have a job before your father died?"  
"I don't know, sir," was the reply. Takumi had never thought about this.

"And let me ask you one more question," the counselor said. "You said your last name was Hito. What was your father's name?"  
Takumi knew the answer to that question, and was about to speak, but at that moment the door was opened by a hoarse-looking teacher. "Flint," she said, looking pale. Takumi knew she must be referring to Mr. Shale. "You have to evacuate the room immediately. There's some sort of robot at the bus parking lot!"  
Takumi immediately knew what the "robot" was. It had to be a Digimon. His first instinct was to fight it, but Mr. Shale told him to run. Takumi scampered out with fear and ran down the hall, where teachers were instructing students to "go this way, and stay calm". Before exiting, he looked back. Where was Mr. Shale?  
He ran down the stairs and looked at all the people there. There were students in one group, and all of the teachers in the other. But Mr. Shale was not among them. This didn't worry Takumi, what he was wondering about was where Ryota was. At first he panicked, but then he realized what needed to be done. He pressed the contact button on his device and found Ryota's signal.

Takumi found a quiet corner on the stairs. If Ryota could respond, he wouldn't be able to hear with all the commotion coming from the kids. "Ryota?" he said, staring at the device and listening closely. "Ryota, can you hear me?" Apparently not. But Takumi could hear Ryota. Indistinct moaning and groaning came from the device . . . and he knew what it was. It was cries of pain coming from his friend Ryota.

_Next time on Digimon Genesis!  
  
It's a battle with yet another Digimon. But this one seems to have more power than both Takumi and Ryota combined! And that's not the only problem . . . how are you supposed to keep a secret as big as this from kids and teachers? It's going to be a wild ride on the next Digimon Genesis:  
  
"SHOWDOWN AT THE SCHOOL"_

Well, that's all, folks! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review this chapter - it helps me very much!


	7. Showdown at the School

__

Previously on Digimon Genesis!  
  
Takumi returned to school, where he met the counselor, Flint Shale. They talked over a number of topics, including Takumi's mother. But their conversation was interrupted by what was described as a "robotic creature". Takumi instantly knew that it was a Digimon. He tried to contact Ryota, who was in his same school . . . and it seemed as though Ryota had already been fighting . . . and that he was losing the battle!  
  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon. But gosh . . . wouldn't it be something if I did?  
  
**DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER VII  
SHOWDOWN AT THE SCHOOL**  
  
Some were shocked. Some were worried. Others were scared, and screaming. Whatever the students did, it was quite obvious that pandemonium had ensued at the school. Children were talking to each other in fright, and the teachers, and even the principal, who was standing nearby, made no attempt to stop it, for they to, were scared out of their wits. They didn't even know what they were scared of . . . but they knew it was something terrible. Only minutes ago, a teacher reported seeing a robotic-like creature near the bus parking lot. Almost every kid was speaking of the subject at the moment, spreading rumors and the like. It seemed as though only Takumi and his friends Ryota, Miho, and Naoki knew the truth - that the robotic-like creature was a Digimon, a digital monster. And if it was a Digimon, the students and the teachers in the school had every right to be afraid, for the word brings about trouble and terror.  
  
Only minutes ago Takumi had been talking with the counselor, Mr. Shale. Now, the school was frozen in terror, and he had no idea what to do. It seemed that Ryota had already been battling the robot monster, and was struggling only to stay on his feet.  
  
Takumi edged his head towards the device again, trying to contact his friend. But the only sounds he heard from him were sounds of defeat. This word devastated his heart. He knew he had to do something . . . but he couldn't transform when all of the people in the school around . . . they were everywhere. Yes, but they were panicking. They probably wouldn't even notice one kid slipping out.  
  
Takumi motioned towards the door. Everyone was still engaged in their conversations of the threat. No one would even see him. Quickly, he opened the door and zoomed down the stairs. He was determined to help his friend. One . . . two . . . he counted the stairs until he was on the first floor. It felt like a million steps. But soon he reached the door leading outside. He opened it without difficulty, then sped across the schoolyard. He regarded the bus parking lot. He could hear sounds, the sound of a machine . . . it was then that Takumi realized that the battle was going on behind the buses.  
  
"Ryota!" the boy cried. "I'm coming!" He ran to the fight scene, but leaped back in terror when a ray of electricity came from the robot monster behind the bus. The electricity made a sharp and terrifying sound. Takumi waited for what seemed like hours, listening to the echo of the violent blast. Afterwards, silence. No birds were singing. No cars were zooming down the road. Not even the roar of the students in the school could interrupt the awkward (and disturbing) stillness. All around the world seemed quiet - like everything was muted . . . except for one thing - the sound of breathing coming from behind the buses. The breathing of Ryota. In a flash, the world returned to normal again. Takumi raced behind the yellow bus, and approached his friend, who was lying on the ground. His eyes were closed and he lay motionless, but he was not unconcious.  
  
"Ryota!" the other shouted, and got on one knee beside his friend. "Are you okay?"  
The other was not. He attempted to get up, but not without difficulty. He clutched his shoulder and muttered, "My arm . . ."  
  
"You just stay down and rest," Takumi said. "I'll fight."  
  
"No!" Ryota shouted in anger, and violently shoved his rescuer aside. "I _will_ fight. I'm . . . doing . . . fine . . . I don't need . . . your help . . ." He still clutched his shoulder, but said confidently to the monster battling:  
  
"Come and fight - you pile of junk!"  
  
Takumi had been so desperate to help Ryota that he had not thought of the "robot monster". He glared at the beast and stepped back. It was not that he was afraid of the tin demon, it was just the look of it. The teacher had been right when she described it as a "robot monster" - but it was much more than that.  
  
"Who is this guy?" Takumi asked.  
  
"Whatever he is, he's gonna get it!" Ryota yelled. "TRANSFORM!" In a flash of blinding light, Ryota turned into a Digimon - Kibamon.  
  
Takumi reached for his D-Monster, which he kept in his pocket. He scanned the monster that Kibamon was facing. "Mekanorimon," he read. "Virus type, machine Digimon. His special attacks are Twin Beam and 4-Disk Brake."  
  
"Enough with the information," Kibamon growled impatiently. "Help me fight."  
  
"Got it!" Takumi said. "TRANSFORM!" He pressed the button on his digivice and he, just like Ryota had, transformed into a Digimon - Hiamon.  
  
Hiamon and Kibamon stood side-by-side. The latter grunted with anger, while the former tightened his fists.  
  
"It's two against one," Kibamon said. "It would be smart of you to surrender . . ."  
  
"Kibamon, it's wild," directed the other. "It's not going to listen to you."  
  
"That's too bad for him! He'll just have to live and learn!" With these words, the snow leopard Digimon charged at his opponent, his claws ready for impact.  
WHAM!  
WHAM!  
WHAM! went the claws of Kibamon into Mekanorimon's steel armor.  
  
"What!?" said Kibamon astonishingly. "That . . . that's impossible!" The claws hadn't even made a dent.  
The beast showed his teeth and growled at the robot. "Animal Martial - ARTS!" he roared. The attack began with a series of kicks at the foe, then a kick high into the air. But to Kibamon's dismay, the attack had no effect. It had only made the robot angry - that is, if a robot was capable of feelings.  
  
The machine Digimon hummed. "Enemy presence located . . . finding target - target found. 4-Disk Brake!"  
It's opponent did nothing but watch and growl as Mekanorimon's arms extended, then wrapped around Kibamon's body.  
"Rrgh!" he growled, amazed at the sudden turn of events. The arms lifted him high into the air - and then Kibamon saw just what he feared - electricity was running down his arms - right at him!  
  
Hiamon could not watch this any longer. He leaped into the air. "Leave my friend - ALONE!" he gasped. He directed his claws at the arms and the electricity broke off, and Kibamon was released, which resulted in him falling.  
The snow leopard growled, then stumbled. He was beaten.  
  
Meanwhile, Hiamon glanced at his target down on the ground. Perfect. "Flame Rain!" he shouted, and from his wings came flames, and they fell like rain to the ground, and onto the machine Digimon. But the sparks disappeared almost as soon as they touched his armor.  
  
"What!?" were the words that escaped from the dragon monster, Hiamon. His armor - it was flame resistant. Hiamon growled furiously. That robot seemed to be teasing him - he could just tell by the look of his face (and yet he had none, unless you count the metal) that he would be laughing, if he could.  
  
"Triple Dragon Talon!" he cried. The three claws on Hiamon's hand glowed, and then he flew down at high speed towards Mekanorimon.  
"Approaching . . . enemy . . ." said the robot plainly. "Target found."  
Hiamon gasped. Mekanorimon turned upwards, and then said:  
"Twin Beam!"  
An energy beam came from the red spot on the robot's chest, coming right for Hiamon.  
"Gargh!" he shouted when it hit him, and he fell to the ground with a thud.  
Kibamon grunted. He breathed angrily at the figure on the ground beside him. "You're a fool," he muttered at Hiamon. "Thinking your claws would be more effective than mine. If my nails can't get through his armor, none can!" he declared.  
  
Hiamon gritted his teeth and was about to shout back at his ally, but thought better of it. He was right. Takumi had already seen him in battle once before . . . it had been Kibamon who had been the victor in their battle. And it took Kibamon to save them from Jikimon.  
  
"Kibamon!" Hiamon shouted to the other one on his side. "We have to fight together if we want to win. If it's two-on-one, we'll win for sure!"  
His companion sighed. "You're right. But that robot Digimon is just too smart. It's like . . . a super-computer. If one of us attacks, he counters it."  
  
"Hmm . . ." Hiamon thought. _He's right. If one of us attacks, he counter-attacks. But . . . if we work together, then he can only counter one of our attacks!_  
  
"I've got it!" said Hiamon, with confidence. "If we each approach Mekanorimon from different angles and attack at the same time, he can only counter one of our attacks!"  
  
Kibamon nodded. "Ready?"  
  
"GO!" shouted Hiamon, and they both launched at high speed, one into the air, and one on the ground.  
  
"Approaching enemy," the machine Digimon said, robotic-like. "Target found." It indicated Hiamon. His body was already raised, so he had no need to modify his angle of view.  
  
"Flame Rain!" commanded Hiamon, and just like initially, the flames came from his wings, not unlike rain, and it hit Mekanorimon, but to no effect.  
  
"Twin Beam!" countered Mekanorimon. The energy beam rose from the red spot on his chest, and fired at full blast at it's enemy. Had it been one on one, Hiamon's side would have lost, because the beam hit him hard. But it was not one on one. Kibamon was not far behind.  
  
"Arctic Arrow!" he roared, just as the beam hit his chum with a hard blast. Mekanorimon had no time to correct his position. The arrow of ice charged at the robot, and he was hit on his side. His side froze.  
  
Hiamon was down on the ground, and injured badly, but he knew that his friend Kibamon was doing the job, because he heard these words from the machine Digimon:  
  
"ERROR - ERROR - FINDING COMMANDS - ERRRRORRRRRRRRR -"  
Then came more words . . . they were calling, calling . . . calling out Hiamon's name. But they weren't the words of the malfunctioned robot. Kibamon was shouting out to him.  
  
"Finish the job!" he heard him call, and with these words of reassurance the dragon rose to his feet, then flew, higher, higher, into the air. Upwards he flew, above the bus parking lot, above the school, above the two figures on the ground, above the city in which he lived . . . and then . . . he charged to the ground with violent speed, and as he approached the machine Digimon, he let out a roar which indicated the end of the fight:  
  
"TRIPLE DRAGON TALON!"  
  
His claws impacted with the ice on the machine Digimon's arm. While severely injuring Mekanorimon, Hiamon also succeeded in grabbing the Digimon's D-Monster device.  
"Got it!" he shouted, and, after pressing the button on his own device, pressed the button on Mekanorimon's device.  
  
"Let's see who you are," he said curiously. He looked at Kibamon, who had transformed back into a human. He watched as the machine Digimon glowed and then became a human-like shape.  
  
Takumi and Ryota looked wide-eyed at the new transformation.  
  
"I - I don't believe this," Takumi said, and he could tell that Ryota was thinking the same thing.  
  
The latter stared at the human boy with interest, and then turned to the former. "I'm not a bit surprised. I mean, we should have known that it was from our school."  
  
"I know," Takumi said earnestly, "But to think that it's him -"  
  
"I don't care who he is, as long as he doesn't tell on us," the other retorted.  
  
"You think he can keep this a secret?"  
  
"He'll have to. Or we'll have something in store for him," Ryota said with a malicious smile. He then turned to the boy on the ground. "Alright F boy, get up!" which included a kick to the boy's foot.  
  
"Ouch!" the boy groaned, but it was unlikely that he had felt any pain from the kick. He immediately stood up.  
  
"What was that far?" he demanded angrily. "I didn't do anything to you. First you break my arm, then you break my leg. What's the big idea?"  
  
Ryota laughed. "As a matter of fact, you have done something to us. Thanks to you, my shoulder will be hurting all day. You frightened the whole school, too." He stepped up to face the boy.  
  
"What did I do this time?" he stammered. "Won't idiots like you ever leave me alone?"  
Takumi and Ryota could tell that it would not be easy to explain the situation to the boy, but after talking it over they both agreed that he was much easier to deal with than the likes of Miho. They explained to him about how he became a Digimon, the men in their dreams, the special D-Monster device and the effects of using it, and Naoki's mission to track down every one of the humans that could become monsters.  
  
The boy seemed to be amazed, but he was very quiet while Takumi and Ryota were telling him their goal, stopping here and there to ask them questions.  
  
"So . . ." began Takumi after the explanation, "I guess that's everything. Just, remember to keep this a secret, alright?"  
  
"That'll be a pretty hard thing for him to do!" Ryota interrupted. "I bet he'll tell everyone he knows."  
  
The boy looked angry. "Look, I'll keep the secret. You've got to trust me. And if I did tell, it'd have an effect on me too, wouldn't it?"  
  
"He's right," said Takumi thoughtfully, turning to Ryota. "If he did tell, he would be in serious trouble too."  
  
The doubter sighed impatiently. "I guess so . . ." he remarked after a while, "but if he's stupid enough to get Fs in all of his subjects, he might be stupid enough to blab on us."  
  
"Hey!" 'F Boy' cried. "You leave my grades out of this. I'm not going to tell, alright?"  
  
Ryota looked in the distance, then said:  
"Of all the kids that can transform into Digimon, one of them had to be you. Just my luck that I get stuck with Shun Oshiro. Look, F boy, you're helping us keep the secret and tracking down the people who turned us into these monsters. After that, I don't want to see your face again. Got it?"  
  
"Fine then. Just leave me alone."  
  
"My pleasure." He looked off into the distance again. "Look," he remarked, "Some parents are picking their kids up. If I don't have to hang around here, then I certainly won't. I'll see you later, Takumi. Try to convince F-boy that if he blabs on us, it's curtains for him."  
  
"Hey Ryota!" Takumi shouted. "Aren't you going to wait for your parents to pick you up?"  
Ryota sniffed. "I've got legs. I can walk." With those words, he started down the street which no doubt led to his house.  
Both boys watched as Ryota left, trudging down the street, hands in his pockets.  
'F-boy' sighed. "What a jerk." As he was saying this, Takumi caught him getting a blue backpack from behind him. "You know, I wish someone would just stop making fun of me all the time. Aw - darn!"  
  
The contents of the book bag had dropped to the ground in a mess. The boy sighed again as he bent over to pick up the stuff.  
  
"So . . ." Takumi started. "What's your name again?"  
  
The boy looked up. "Shun. Shun Oshiro. Or 'F-boy' as some idiots like to call me. You can call me 'F-boy' if you like - I'm used to it by now."  
He put one of the items that fell into his book bag.  
  
"No wait," offered Takumi. "I'll help."  
  
"No, no, no," argued Shun. "I can handle it."  
  
"No, I'll help," insisted Takumi. He bent over to help the boy pick up the items. One was a math book, full of messy papers, a literature book, a folder, and - a painting. Takumi was interested in this painting. On it was the picture of a mountain, and overlooking it was a dark, misty sky. He saw, in signature form at the bottom of the portrait, the name:  
  
Shun Oshiro  
  
The artist gazed at Takumi, then noticed he was eying the painting. He smiled. "Oh, that," he said. "That's just a painting that I worked on. It's nothing." He took his hand and was about to put the portrait in his sack, but Takumi protested.  
  
"Please, don't put it away," he said. "It's very good. Did you - did you really paint this?"  
  
"Yeah," Shun said. "Here, let's put it away."  
  
"It's very good," praised Takumi. "It - it looks like it was done by a professional artist."  
These words appeared to mean a lot to Shun. "Well, thanks," the artist replied. "I used to live in the mountains. Have you ever been there? It's beautiful."  
  
"I'll bet it is," Takumi remarked.  
  
"That's where I got my inspiration to become an artist. I wanted to capture the landscape of the mountains - the Earth - in my paintings. I like to be able to create works of beauty just by using a paintbrush."  
  
He carefully put the painting inside of his backpack.  
  
"Um . . ." Takumi pondered. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"  
  
Shun picked up his book bag and then gazed at Takumi. "Ask anything."  
  
"Well, why do they call you 'F-boy'? Do you really gets Fs in every subject?"  
Shun looked up at the sky. "Yes. That's why they call me F-boy. I got held back last year because I didn't do my homework for the whole semester. But you see, I'm looking at the big picture. School is to educate me, so I can get involved with a job and raise a family. But if I'm already involved in a job . . . sort of . . . being a painter and all - there's really no point in school, is there?"  
  
Takumi thought about Shun's philosophy.  
"What do you want to do when you grow up?" asked the artist. "What's your goal - your dream?"  
  
He thought for a moment. He had never thought about it before, although the question came his way many a time. Suddenly he blurted:  
"I want to become a medical researcher. Like my dad did."  
  
Shun gazed at Takumi thoughtfully. "Really?"  
  
Takumi looked down. "Well - no - not really -"  
  
Shun smiled, a rare smile. "I can always tell when people really mean something. Do you really want to follow in the footsteps of your dad - or do you want to do something different? Don't be afraid to tell me. There's no point in trying to follow something that you think you're not good at. My family wanted me to become a lawyer when I grew up. Well, I didn't want to. And if I did listen to them, I'd have to force myself to like it. And how are you supposed to be good at something if you don't want to do it. So, think about it, Takumi. Do you really want to be a medical researcher, or something else?"  
  
Takumi imagined himself at one career, then the next one. He tried all the jobs he could think of but could not find one that was suitable for him. "I don't know," he replied. "But if I could be something, I would want to make some kind of significance in the world . . . I want to be someone that could help other people."  
Shun smiled again. "Don't worry about it. Soon, fate will find you. Come on, let's go for a walk."  
  
And so the two boys set off to go to their homes. Little did Takumi, now engaged in glorious conversation, know that fate was about to find him.  
  
_Next time on Digimon Genesis!  
  
Schools are still open the next day . . . but if the children don't act quickly, there won't be a school to go to! Tune in next time to discover Shun and Miho's rivalry, a new digital human in Naoki's class, and . . . Takumi's *CRUSH*. All of this and more in the next chapter of Digimon Genesis:  
  
CONFLICTING PERSONALITIES_


	8. Conflicting Personalities

_Previously on Digimon Genesis, Takumi and Ryota battled Mekanorimon. Due to a well-thought plan, Kibamon was able to freeze Mekanorimon's circuits. Hiamon then used an attack from above to turn the monster back into a human - who turned out to be Shun Oshiro, or 'F-boy' as some called him - especially Ryota. The two didn't like each other so they went their separate ways. Meanwhile, Takumi learned more about Shun - he was actually a very good artist who found no point in school. Shun told him to follow his goal. Takumi's goal is to do something significant . . . maybe one day he'll reach his goal!  
  
_**DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER VIII**

CONFLICTING PERSONALITIES

"What's that? Oh, really?! You people drive me crazy! Just because he hasn't hurt anybody, the schools are still open? Look, I don't know about you or if you have children or what, but I don't want them to be zapped by some - by some kind of a robot! Here you have the real murderer under your nose and you're still - what do you mean he hasn't hurt anybody?! Of course he's hurt somebody! This robot - or whatever it is you want to call it - already killed two people - no proof!? Of course you've got proof! He's a robot, damn you! He's the one who killed that little boy and an _adult _- how do you expect me to be calm to think that you're going to take control? Look, I don't care if you have policeman - what's the use of a gun against a _robot!? _Don't give me that, of course it was a robot! Someone from your own _school_ confirmed that! A joke?! Pretty funny joke to me if my son is killed because you haven't the brain of a donkey!" The woman on the line didn't even say good-bye. She was too angry.

"I don't know about you, Takumi," she said furiously, "but I think that some people never should have been principals. Mrs. -"  
Takumi looked at his mother surprisingly for her choice of words.

"I'm sorry, Takumi," she reassured. "Pardon the language. I'm just so angry at the school . . . if the murderer comes back, I hope he kills that principal of yours. Anyway, Mrs. Falle told me that because no one was hurt, schools will be open tomorrow. Can you believe that?"  
Her son tried to look surprised by raising his eyebrows. He actually _wanted _the schools to open. He wanted to go back the next morning to talk to Mr. Shale, the school counselor. They had only been together for a few minutes, but Takumi could tell that he was a very nice man. It was nice to be able to talk to someone who understood you . . . or at least _tried _to understand you . . .

He looked back at his mother, who shook her head in disgust. "I can't believe that woman . . . oh!"  
"I can't either," said Takumi lifelessly, returning upstairs. "I hope she changes her mind."  
"Ha!" exclaimed his mother, who didn't even notice him retreat.

When he got to his room, he plopped on his bed. It had been quite a day for him. First he got up to go to school, then was sent to the guidance counselor. Afterwards, a "robot" Digimon called Mekanorimon attacked at the school. He and Ryota had to stop it and turn it back to a human, who was really a boy named Shun Oshiro. Takumi had made friends with him, then got involved in a long conversation about life. Afterwards, he returned home to find his worried mother, who had got home early from work due to the "murderer" being in town. Afterwards, he had gone to bed because he was tired, only to be awakened by a long conversation on the phone between his mother and his principal, Mrs. Falle.

The whole city had been in panic. They all thought the murderer was a "robot". Only a few days ago, Takumi had been transformed into a Digimon and had accidentally killed a schoolmate of his, and the next day got into battle with Ryota, who had transformed into the wild Kibamon, and because he was too close to the battle, a man named Mr. Felters was also killed. Everyone was in shock, and wondered who the murderer was. When the robot Digimon, Mekanorimon, showed up at school, everyone thought that the "robot" had been the murderer who had killed the boy and Mr. Felters. But Takumi knew the truth, and so did his friends, Ryota Surashi, Naoki Reda, Miho Sugiyama, and Shun Oshiro. It was going to be hard to play along with the rest of the town.

Tomorrow would be Saturday*, which Takumi was thankful for. It had been a busy week. He was so tired . . . so he sank his head into his pillow and went into a long sleep . . .

***

"Mother - mother - mother - mother - harsh - harsh - harsh - harsh - father - father - father - father - why - why - Hito - Hito - Hito - Hito - world - world - world - world - world - world - world - help - help - help - help - rage - rage - rage - rage -"  
Takumi opened his eyes. Where was he? What were the voices? He looked around him. Oh no. Not again. He was in some sort of stretcher . . . and around him were those people - those people again - the scientists -  
Then he heard another voice - "Soon, Stone, soon."

***

Takumi jumped from his bed. It had been a dream - just a dream - or had it? He put his head back on the pillow, then gazed at his alarm clock. Five-sixteen. He rolled over on his bed. He couldn't get to sleep. He watched the alarm clock. Minutes passed, although it felt like hours - finally, it was six in the morning.

He rose from his bed, then walked down the hallway. The light was on in the kitchen. His mother had already got up.

"Hello, Takumi," she greeted him after she had sipped her coffee. "Look, I have to go now . . . I don't think I'll ever get this work done . . . all these murders . . . I'm sorry, Takumi, I thought I'd have all my work done yesterday, but it got interrupted. She shivered. "You'll be all right?" she whispered.

Takumi nodded. "I'll be fine."

She hugged and kissed him, then left the house.

Her son looked around for something to eat. There were always pastries in the house, and Takumi loved them. Before he became a Digimon, every week he would do chores for other people for money to buy the groceries. His mother had always told him that they were a partnership, that they were both required to help each other out in financial problems.

He put the pastries in the toaster and fixed himself a cup of orange juice. By the time he had squeezed the oranges, the pastries were ready. There was no better smell in the morning than a new pastry, fresh out of the toaster, and there was no better way to wake you up in the morning than drinking orange juice.

After he was done with his breakfast, he put his dish on top of the pile of, to exaggerate, "sky-high" plates. Then he finished packing up his book bag, which was very light due to the fact that no homework had been assigned the previous day because of the Digimon that had showed up at school. Takumi walked out of the door, feeling completely carefree. Little did he know that soon he would have to face the fact that there was something to worry about . . .

***

_Darn it, darn it, darn it, _Takumi thought to himself in the classroom. _Why today, why today, why today, when everything is so perfect?_

"When do you expect Mr. Shale to be back?" he asked to his teacher, Miss Andrews.

"Hmm," she muttered. "Well, he broke his arm yesterday, so I imagine that he'll be back on Monday morning. Listen Takumi - if Mr. Shale tells me that you're conferences are doing fine, then I'll give you another chance on this test." She opened a drawer and took a paper from it, Takumi's test paper that he had not been able to complete. He saw a big red zero on it. "Alright, Takumi?" Miss Andrews asked.

Takumi nodded. But he didn't care about his test. He had been looking forward to seeing Mr. Shale all of the previous day, but now he wouldn't be able to see him. Depressed, the boy tried desperately to find something to cheer him up, so he walked happily to Chiaki's desk and inquired of his exploits in Miss Andrews' closet, but when asked about it, the troublemaker looked at Takumi strangely.

Sighing, Takumi sat down in his chair and lay his head on his arms, hoping that the boring day would end quickly. He glanced at his watch. 8:55. _Just six more hours to go . . ._

***

Naoki's day had been no better. He already knew about the Mekanorimon and the new kid that joined the team on their mission, Shun Oshiro. Takumi had contacted him the previous afternoon and had told him all about it. But it wasn't that that worried him, it was the girl sitting to his left. He glanced at his D-Monster device. No doubt about it. That red dot right next to his own. That girl was evidently a Digimon. But how in the world was he supposed to tell her that when they were in school? He couldn't just walk up to her and explain everything. He had to come up with some sort of plan. He got up from his seat and walked to the girl's desk.

"So, Yuka," he said, for that was what her name was, and he said it quietly, for he did not want to attract attention from other students.

She looked up. As some of my readers may know, Naoki and Yuka were still at that age where it is a "boys/girls are icky" matter. But Yuka was much more mature than the other girls at this stage. She listened to all conversations with boys in the same manner that she did with kids of her own gender. She respected them.

"Yes?" she asked, smiling.

"Did you -" and he paused and said this extremely quietly, but later wished he had not, for this was a very complicated thing to say without sounding awkward. "Did you sleep well last night?"

Her smile faded. She was very surprised at this question. From any other boy she would have refused to answer the question, but Naoki was different, so she took the question well. "Actually, I had a nightmare last night." She said nothing more.  
  
This was just what Naoki was hoping to hear. "What - happened in the dream?" he asked cautiously. He didn't want anybody to know what he was asking her about, and wouldn't have asked her in the first place, but there was no other way.  
  
"Well - I was in, like, some kind of hospital . . . and on some kind of bed . . . and there were men, who made some kind of . . . electronic thing . . ."   
  
She looked up at him in curiosity. Naoki Reda was being different today. He had never been more than a friend to her, so his sudden concern for her own dreams was extremely strange for him. "Why do you ask?"  
  
Naoki looked up. _Oh darn. Now she thinks I'm nosy. But I have no choice._ He looked back at Yuka with interest. "Um, if you don't mind my asking, do you know if you really have that device? Like with you, right now?"  
  
Yuka studied him, trying to seem as nice as possible. But what was wrong with him? Why was he acting so strange? First he asks about her dreams, then he asks for a device that was made in the dream. Had he gone crazy? Still, she answered his question, hiding her curiosity of the fact that she thought that Naoki had gone insane.  
  
"I don't think so," she replied.  
  
"Well - look everywhere! In your pockets, anywhere you think you could have put it!" Naoki said alarmingly.  
  
It was quite clear that he was worried about something. He was definitely out of his mind, Yuka assured herself. She had never dealt with a person who had asked such bizarre questions and demanded such answers.  
  
"I'm positive I don't have it with me right now. But it was only a dream, wasn't it? You can't expect me to bring you something that only existed in a dream."  
  
Naoki was about to explain to her the whole situation and how he was sure that it was not a dream, but thought the better of it when Yuka's friend walked by.  
  
"Hey, Yuka," a blonde haired girl exclaimed. "So, we have the plans? I'm going to  
go on the camping trip with you tonight, aren't I?"  
  
"Just a minute," Yuka replied. She turned back to Naoki, who was trying to find a way to explain the seriousness of the missing device while not attracting Yuka's friend to the conversation.  
  
"Well," Naoki said, "if you do find the device, bring it in on Monday, okay?"  
Yuka nodded, then turned back to her friend. She seemed eager for him to leave, so he did so, but not without worry.  
He had never took this into thought . . . he needed a plan . . .  
  
"And then we're going camping," he heard Yuka say to her friend. "Of course, we're leaving a babysitter for my little brother, he can't come . . ."  
  
He needed a plan desperately . . .  
* * *  
  
Meanwhile, Takumi was in history class. Boring history class . . . but not today. He had never noticed it before, but the girl that sat in front of him was beautiful . . . just beautiful.  
"In fact," said Miss Andrews matter-of-factly, "during war times in ancient Japan, in this exact town, tunnels were built in the grown so our soldiers could come up and surprise the enemy. It acted as both an offensive and a defensive weapon . . ." But Takumi wasn't paying attention.  
  
The girl's hair . . . her wonderful brown hair, so smooth, so free. Whenever Takumi saw her face he fell into a sea of delight. She was so pretty to Takumi that it would be hard to describe for him. But whatever she was described as, she was downright beautiful . . . he studied her back. Everything about her was beautiful. He didn't even notice when the bell rang, and when he finally did realize that if he didn't hustle he would miss his bus. But he was too busy looking at her. So busy, that when he got up he dropped all of his books. They fell on the ground with a loud thud, which attracted the girl's attention.   
  
This was the time in which he didn't want her to notice him. He wanted her to leave right now and pay no attention to his dropped books. But she bent down and helped Takumi pick them up.  
  
"T-thanks," he said quietly, so quiet that it was mouthed, so the beautiful girl did not hear him.  
Afterwards, she left, leaving Takumi mystified with her beauty. He didn't even no her name . . . but whatever her name was, it was probably perfect. He caught up with Ryota, who was also leaving the school.  
  
"Hey, Ryota," he greeted. "You know that girl - the girl who's in your English class at 3rd period? She sits on your row? The one with the brown hair?"  
  
Ryota looked up. "Yeah, I think I know her. Her name's Reina. Reina Yoshida."  
Takumi knew that it had to be her name because it was the most beautiful name he had heard in the whole world.  
  
"Reina . . ." he muttered, which Ryota must have heard, because the next question he asked was:  
  
"What? Do you like her?"  
  
"She's hot," was the simple reply.  
  
"I think she's ugly," he answered.  
  
  
* * *  
  
"So, this is your house?"  
  
"Yeah, pretty cool, huh?" Naoki said pleasantly. He had invited the whole group of the digital humans over to his house for dinner. All of them - Takumi, Ryota, Miho and Shun "F-boy" Oshiro. Naoki had told them that they were to discuss "certain matters" immediately. Takumi's mother was working late, Ryota said he didn't care what his parents said, Miho was allowed, and Shun's parents thought that it would be wonderful for him to meet new friends. Naoki's mother, however, was a bit concerned about the matter. She certainly didn't like kids who were seven years older than her son in the house, and she was worried over Naoki and how he had come to meet them.  
  
Takumi and Ryota had already arrived at his house.  
  
"So, when's Miho and Shun going to get here?" asked Takumi.  
  
"Hopefully they both got run over a cement truck," Ryota commented.  
  
"I shouldn't be surprised if they're late," Naoki replied, ignoring Ryota, but a shout from the hill signaled that Shun had arrived. "Hey, you guys!" he called.  
  
Ryota crossed his arms. "What took you so long?" he said coldly when he arrived. "Did you have to make up a test which you didn't do, F-boy?"  
  
Shun looked angrily at Ryota. "Would you just shut up for once?"  
  
"Maybe until you work harder," he replied, his eyes closed.  
  
Another guest arrived soon.  
  
"There's Miho!" Takumi cried.  
  
"Mi-who?" Shun asked.  
  
Miho walked up to the house with a purse under her arm. "Sorry I'm late," she said. "I was shopping, but the line was so long that I couldn't get through."  
  
"I understand," Takumi said, but Miho paid no attention because she instantly shouted:  
"Oh no! Not him! Don't tell me he's one of us too!"  
  
She pointed at Shun Oshiro.  
  
_Next time on Digimon Genesis!  
  
The team must work together in order to stop a digital human from going out of control! It will be hard to be able to accomplish this if they can't get along! Will the group have to resort to crime? At least it won't be anything new! Find out next time on Digimon Genesis!  
  
"CRIME AND CRIME AGAIN"_  
  
  
*Japanese public school students attend classes Monday through Friday and half a day on Saturday, except for two weeks each month when they have Saturdays off - Courtesy of World Book Encyclopedia

  
  
  
  
  
  



	9. Crime and Crime Again

****

_Previously on Digimon Genesis, Takumi had another strange dream about the men who gave him his powers to transform into a digital monster . . ._

The next day, Takumi met a girl named Reina. But she wasn't just a girl to him. She was drop-dead beautiful . . . meanwhile, Naoki tried to find out more about a girl as well! No, no, no! It didn't have anything to do with a crush . . . but it did have something to do with the fate of the city! It turns out the girl, Yuka, could turn into a Digimon as well. Unfortunately, she had left her D-Monster device at home.

Naoki set up a plan and met up with all of the other digital humans at his house. But it turned out that it may be a problem to get them to work together . . . because it seems that some don't like each other that much . . .

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon. BUT, I do own a beanie baby named Frisbee! I bought him at the mall for $5.00! It's mine now! All mine! No one can take it away from me! BWAHAHA!

DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER IX

CRIME AND CRIME AGAIN

"Get him away!" Miho shrieked, pointing at Shun Oshiro with a look of immense madness.

"Wh - what do you mean?" Takumi stammered, shocked.

"Takumi, you didn't tell me that _she_ was a Digimon too!" Shun cried. "I can't believe that I'm stuck with her!"  
Miho turned around and held her nose up high. "And I can't believe I'm stuck with _you! _Of all the miserable luck!"

Shun Oshiro also turned away from the troubled girl, and folded his arms with a look of regret on his plump, round face.

"H-how do you guys know each other?" Takumi asked, stepping in.

"Well, it just so happens that we were both in the eighth grade together. F-boy still is, though," Miho announced.

"At least I live with parents who care for me!" Shun shouted angrily.

At this, steam seemed to come from Shun's opponent. "Are you insulting my mother?" she said, through gritted teeth. "As a matter of fact, my mother does care for me. _Your_ parents are trolls."  
Shun cuffed his hands into fists. "I don't care if you're a girl, but I'll punch you if you insult my family again!"

"I'm not insulting anyone," was the reply. "I'm only telling the truth."  
Suddenly, the temperature in Shun's body rose. He held his fist high into the air, then -

"Stop!" Takumi yelled, stopping Shun from hurting Miho, who ducked in fear.

Shun shook him off, but didn't continue to try and hurt the obnoxious girl. "That was only a warning. But I mean it, next time if you -" Shun did not know what to add, but if anything, his fists, which seemed to grow larger and larger, said all.

The door of Naoki's house suddenly opened and a small woman with short, gray hair appeared at the steps.

"Naoki," she said softly, "it's time for dinner. We're having fish tonight. Why don't you go ask your friends to come to the table?"  
"Thank you, Mrs. -" Shun said politely -

"Reda. And your welcome. I'm happy to have you over." Her voice, however, indicated that she had mixed feelings of the guests that her son had brought to join them with dinner. She was not prepared to cook dinner for four additional people. It was strange - Naoki had never been the sort to hang around with kids older than he was. And older they were! That boy looked like he six years older than Naoki, she thought, and this was true, for the person she was thinking of was Shun Oshiro, the boy who had thanked her so politely, and he was fourteen years old. She was so concerned over these new arrivals that she spoke to her husband about it right away.

"Gideo," she began, setting his plate on the table, which consisted of fish and some carrots. "I'm beginning to worry about Naoki. Who _are_ these kids that he was playing with anyway?"  
Mr. Reda plunged into his fish and took a large bite. "Dunno," he replied, his mouth full of meat. "Those kids in the yard?"  
"Yes," Mrs. Reda replied impatiently. "They're very strange - especially that boy and that girl - they had to be at least in high school. And that boy in the blue? He looks like he could really hurt Naoki if he wanted to!"  
"Are they new to the neighborhood?" he asked, a bit more consciously, since his mouth was free of food.

"No!" she moaned, in a low voice, completely forgetting of her duties to serve dinner for her strange guests, "not that _I_ know of, anyway. I mean, do their parents even know they're going to be here? I've never met them. I don't want to be held responsible for a bunch of kids who are here without permission. Now _I_ feel like I have to cook dinner for them and act as host, while perhaps _their_ parents are looking for them."  
"Send them home," Mr. Reda returned simply, eager to drop the subject so that he could dive in to his plate and grab more of the delicious food.

"But Gideo, I'm afraid to!"  
"What?" her husband replied, taking a sip of his soda, because he had swallowed a bit more food than he had liked to. "There isn't anything to it. Just ask them if their parents know where they are. If not, send them home. If they do, then I guess we'll just have to entertain them all for a while."  
Mrs. Reda looked up at the ceiling hopefully, as if it held some kind of answer that would help her situation. "I suppose."

"Chieri, I really think you're looking too much into this," Mr. Reda said to his wife, putting his plate aside (he had decided that he wasn't going to eat anymore after some fish went down the wrong way), "we haven't even met them before. Just because they're much older than Naoki doesn't mean they'll do harm to him."

Chieri Reda still continued to look up at the ceiling in hope, before she said:  
"I know, but I - I - I mean, what if they are a distraction from his school work!?"  
"Aw, hun, I really don't think we need to go that far. Naoki has friends, and he's doing well in school, right?"  
"I know," his wife replied, "but he's so young and impressionable . . ."  
"Yeah," Mr. Reda yawned in agreement, then strode over to the cabinet to find some dessert (he later produced a tasty sundae), while his wife continued to stare at the ceiling, thinking of the teenagers.

Mr. Reda was about to eat the cherry on top that he favored, when suddenly his wife burst out:  
"Gideo! What if they're a gang!? What if they're doing drugs!?"  
Instead of answering, Gideo put the cherry in his mouth, chewed it up, and swallowed it with satisfaction.

"Well?" his wife demanded impatiently.

Mr. Reda let out a hearty laugh and said, "Honey, I really think you're looking too much into this. I mean, so they're teenagers, so they're much bigger than Naoki, it _doesn't_ mean they're a gang."  
"But, dear, what if - what if - what if_ they're_ the ones doing the murders?!"

At this, Mr. Reda almost choked with laughter.

"Oh, honey, they're just _kids._ And there was a _robot _committing the murders. Showed up yesterday on television."  
"You really believe that, dear? _I_ don't think it was a robot. I mean, really, how are - I mean, how is a robot supposed to be behind all this?"

Her husband continued to laugh, then said:  
"Honey, if those kids really _are_ doing the murders, you can hang me on the ceiling with a rope and hit me with a stick."

Meanwhile, Takumi was thinking of Naoki's parents, and how they would handle their company. "You didn't _have_ to have us over for dinner," he kept repeating, "I mean, we could have done this in the afternoon -"

Naoki shook his head regretfully. "No, I'm afraid we can't do what I want to do during the day."  
"What _did _you call us over here for?" Ryota asked. Naoki was about to reply, but Mrs. Reda called:  
"Time for dinner!"  
The five kids hastened over to the table, and found four extra chairs pulled up for their use.

After dinner was served, the Redas engaged their guests in conversation.

"So, what's your name?" Mr. Reda asked, indicating Takumi.

"Takumi," the respective boy answered.

"And how old are you?"

"I'm twelve."

"Play any sports?" Mr. Reda asked heartily.

Takumi paused at this question. "No," he replied. "Not really . . ." He was not very tall and couldn't dribble a basketball, didn't have any coordination, so he couldn't hit a baseball, he couldn't kick a soccer ball very well, and Takumi just wasn't built for football (or any other sport for that matter).

"How about you?" he asked, indicating Ryota.

"I'm twelve," he replied, not looking up from his plate.

"Same age as Takumi."  
"Yeah," Ryota replied. "We, uh, go to the same school and all . . ."

"Oh," Mr. Reda said. "What school do you go to?"  
"East Yokohama."  
"Middle?"  
"Yes."  
Mr. Reda exchanged glances with his wife. That was the same school that the boy who had been murdered had attended.

"Pardon this question," he said, "but did you know the boy who was killed?"  
"Yeah. He was stupid."  
"Oh," Mr. Reda said, again exchanging glances with Mrs. Reda. Ryota didn't notice, he was too busy trying to get some fish off his fork and into his mouth.

"And how about you?" he asked, indicating Miho.

"What about me?" she replied with her mouth full.

"How old you are."  
"Oh, I'm fourteen."

"And you?" Mr. Reda asked, pointing at Shun.

"I'm fourteen," he said politely. "This dinner is great, Mrs. Reda. Did you cook this yourself?"  
"Why, yes," she returned warmly.

"Do you go to the same school together?" her husband asked Shun. "N-no," he replied, staring at Miho with a look of dread on his plump face. This was the question he had been fearing. Luckily, Miho didn't say a word, though she didn't look too nice at Shun, but this was no change.

Mrs. Reda was about to ask how they all had met Naoki and what their plans were for the evening, but thought the better of it. This was quite fortunate for the kids, for they had not thought of an excuse. Mrs. Reda also noticed how they almost never spoke to each other. Could this be to hide whatever it was they had been discussing outside? But they didn't _seem_ like a gang, not even murderers. The boy, Shun Oshiro, was indeed polite. The concerned parent tried to convince herself that these children were not involved in any criminal acts, but she couldn't help thinking of her son, the boy that, although she forced him to study, she loved so dearly.

The table was in silence for a bit, until the last person finished his dinner (which was Takumi). Mrs. Reda excused them from the table, watching Naoki from the corner of his eye as he left the house, going outside with his newly-found friends. She sighed, then finished her dinner.

"Don't worry about him, Chieri," her husband coaxed. "He'll turn out fine."

The worried mother didn't reply.

Outside, the digital humans gathered and Naoki explained why he had brought them over to his house in the first place.

"There are two things I want to discuss," he began, looking around at the group. "First, I have a theory." For some reason, he waited before he spoke his next sentence. "Have you two ever transformed ever since we found you were Digimon?" He gestured at Miho Sugiyama and Shun Oshiro.

"No," they both replied, and to their disgust, at the same time.

"Well," Naoki said softly, "I want you to transform. Not right now of course - come on, let's go to the woods in the back of my house - out in the open - this is the only way I can test my theory."

The others nodded in agreement and talked quietly as they made their way to the forest.

"Wonder what he turns into . . ." Miho muttered, speaking of Shun.

"Hey, I heard that!" Shun cried. "I turn into -"  
"An ugly robot with one eye," Ryota jeered, not smiling. "Half killed me, the stupid thing . . ."  
Miho giggled. "Is that right, Shun?" she teased, however, it was not the friendly tease, but a rival-like tease. "You turn into a robot!?"  
"So?" Shun countered. "It's not - I don't care!"  
"F-boy doesn't care about anything," Ryota said darkly.

"Well, duh!" Miho cried.

Shun "F-boy" Oshiro put his head down and sighed. Takumi took a quick glance at him. _Poor Shun, _he thought. _Always loathed just because he has a reputation to make poor grades . . . and he makes those poor grades only because he's interested in something else - art. He's a wonderful artist - and I can tell that he hasn't shared his work with anyone else. No one knows the real Shun, everyone jumps to conclusions. Kids like Ryota hate him, and soon that hate spreads to every other person in the school - then Shun is hated by everyone. And it's not his fault . . . Ryota, Miho . . . they were being jerks. Ryota obviously followed all the popular kids, and they hated Shun, and given him a nickname, F-boy. I don't know the deal with Miho, who was in his class last year, maybe they just couldn't stand each other. _Takumi wished he could do something to help Shun, but couldn't pluck up the courage because he was afraid that if he befriended the poor student, Takumi would be loathed and hated as well.

Soon the group arrived in the heart of the woods, where there was a small clearing.

"Alright," Naoki said smiling, like he always did, "let's begin."  
Everyone nodded.

"Miho, Shun, transform!" he cried.

The two fourteen-year olds pressed the top button on their D-Monster digivice, then transformed into Mekanorimon and Jikimon, the respective forms of Shun and Miho.

"So it's true!" the plant Digimon cried gleefully when she saw Mekanorimon. "You really _do _transform into a robot!"  
Mekanorimon, which lacked a face, could not express his anger, but instead hummed irritably.

"Notice anything different?" Naoki shouted to Jikimon, as the Venus fly-trap monster was very large.

"What do you mean?" Jikimon rasped back.

"Like, anything different than last time you transformed!"  
To everyone's surprise, leaves on Jikimon's back began to flap, faster and faster, until the plant Digimon could fly in the air.

Down below, everyone gasped in amazement.

"She wasn't able to fly before!" Takumi stated.

Suddenly, Jikimon burst into song:  
  


"I can fly!  
Like a fly!  
I have wings!  
Like a king - I mean queen!  
Yeah, yeah!"

"Men-tal," Mekanorimon hummed.

"Do you feel any different, Shun?" Naoki asked.

"No, but I believe that I have more control over the functions of my body due to the power of the device."

"Good, then my theory has been proved," Naoki announced. "You can transform back into humans now."  
Shun was eager to transform back into a regular human, he thought if he remained in his Digimon mode everyone would start to laugh at him. This order, however, did not appeal to Miho, who was disappointed that humans weren't built with wings. Therefore, she pleaded she stay as Jikimon, but Naoki shook his head now, it was too risky to be a Digimon if not needed, even though they were probably safe in the woods. After the two transformed back into their human forms, which Shun seemed much more comfortable in, Naoki announced why he had brought them over to his house in the first place. They all sat on the ground while the little boy told his story. The ground was covered with pine needles and pinecones. Miho refused to sit in the dirt at first, and instead decided to pirch herself on a large tree. But when it was discovered that the tree was home to hundreds of ants, the girl took the lesser of two evils and was forced to sit on the ground, and throughout Naoki's story she complained that the pine needles were stabbing her.

Naoki told the story of how he had met up with Yuka, how he had found that she was a Digimon, how she was going on a camping trip that weekend. Then, he seemed to reach what he had been waiting to say all evening. "We are all going to have to go to Yuka's house and steal the device from her home. Got it?"  
Everyone stared. It was Takumi who broke the silence.

"But - who's going to go?" he asked.

"All of us," Naoki replied. He wasn't smiling. "This is a team effort. This will require all of us. And we need to get along with each other." He glared at Shun and Miho. "If we can't, then I know we'll never be able to save this city."

Ryota looked at Shun, and was about to open his mouth to say something, but thought the better of it.

"Takumi and Shun," Naoki ordered, "you are to enter Yuka's house. In order to do that -" he gestured to Ryota - "you need to pry open the windows. Chances are, the windows and doors of the house are locked."  
This time, Ryota spoke. "But - what if someone sees us?"  
"That's where I came in," was the reply from the boy of eight, "I'll be on the watch. If anyone_ does_ see us, I'll create an Amnesia Charm." He then turned to Miho - "and you will keep a watch on where Takumi and Shun are. You can help them find the device and bring it back safely."  
Miho nodded, although she was rather disappointed that this activity would not require flying.

"All right, everything settled?" Naoki asked, confident that his mission would be successful, but with something in his voice which told everyone that this was going to be extremely dangerous.

"Yeah!" Takumi cried. "Now where is this Yuka's house?"  
Naoki dug in his pocket, took out his D-Monster, but it was not this that he used to find the young girl's house, but a school directory that he had in his pocket that he must have retrieved from his own home early on, and he later retrieved a map from it as well, which he must have also smuggled out.

"It's a couple of miles from here," said Naoki, after alternating from viewing the map or the phone book. "Don't worry, I've been to her house before, I know exactly where it's located."  
"And why have you been to her house?" said Miho sarcastically, but there was no reply from Naoki.

Within a few minutes, the group agreed that they didn't have time to walk the miles required to walk in order to get to Yuka's house, so they found a new source of transportation - Takumi and Ryota. Takumi was to transform into Hiamon and Ryota into Kibamon. The former was to ride with Shun on his back, the latter carrying Naoki and Miho (it was originally planned that Naoki was to ride on Hiamon, but Shun and Miho were arguing so much that it was eventually decided that they would go separately. Miho exclaimed that she was happy she was not to be riding with F-boy, but she was most disappointed when specifically asked by Naoki not to transform into her Digimon mode and fly).

After Naoki had told Takumi the location of the little girl's house, the expedition began, and the two groups separated. Shun was impressed with the dragon-like Hiamon, and he held up his arms excitedly as they flew over the trees (Takumi did not want to attract suspicion if anyone happened to look up at the sky that evening). Miho, on the other hand, was further angered when her face was whipped by an exceptionally large branch while riding on Kibamon. Whether the snow leopard Digimon did this on purpose or not remains a mystery.

Hiamon spread his great wings and felt the rush of the air against his tender, reptile-like face. Takumi had never realized that this was one of the most joyous moments of his life, flying high in the air as a dragon. When he had flew on past times, there had always been something bothering him, something that he was worried about or afraid of. But today he flew carefree, except for the fact that they needed to retrieve the device. However, the pressure was not as great this time. Not as great as the time that he had just murdered a second person, Mr. Felters. It hadn't been his fault - at the time, he had been unable to control himself. Takumi was afraid that a group of kids had seen the murder - and they had, but thanks to Naoki and his Amnesia Charms, they forgot the incident. But Takumi could still remember those awful moments before he had learned of the spell - of how he had transformed back into his Digimon mode and flew home, thinking of the truth that his mother would soon learn . . .

"Hey, Takumi!" a voice called.

Hiamon opened his eyes. "Huh?" he grunted, and he realized that the voice was coming from Shun, who was still riding on his back. He was the one who had interrupted the daydream.

"You still there?" he teased.

"Yeah," Hiamon growled.

"Listen," Shun explained, "We've got to be careful in this. We'll both help each other, right?"  
Hiamon grunted in agreement.

"Good," Shun said triumphantly. "I'm confident that we can do this!"

Hiamon almost flew back in fear when he saw a short stretch of road in front of him, but luckily avoided being spotted by anyone, for it was not a busy street. But here he saw Kibamon, running on the paved road. At least he knew he was on the right track. He followed the snow leopard Digimon until they came to the forest again, but the woods became more tame and eventually he could see small houses on the ground below. Hiamon glided lower and lower, trying to get out of view of anyone who could be watching, then sank to the ground with a hard thud.

"Whoa!" Shun gasped, as he had almost fallen off the dragon's back.

"Sorry," Hiamon growled, and after his companion had gotten off his back, he transformed back into a human. The world seemed much bigger to Takumi now that he was a human and not a large, menacing beast.

"We're here!" Takumi heard a familiar voice announce. Kibamon appeared in a clearing, then stopped short, allowing Naoki, and (with reluctance), Miho to jump off.

"Glad you made it!" Naoki said cheerfully. His face turned serious. "No one saw you, did they?"

"Nope," Takumi said. "But - a dragon is hard to miss!"  
"F-boy is also hard to miss," Miho muttered, but not soft enough, for Shun seemed to hear her. He didn't counter her sentence, though.

"So, this is her house," Takumi said, putting his hands in his pockets and staring at the back of the yellow, cheery-looking house. There were no lights on, but some blinds were open. A beautiful garden was visible through the trees, containing many roses.

"What a dump," Kibamon commented, some of Ryota's cold tone in his voice. He curled his lip at the long rows of flowers.

"Alright, Kibamon," Naoki said enthusiastically. "Open the window. I'm positive it'll be locked, but you can open it with your fangs, can't you?"

The snow leopard Digimon looked quite surly and annoyed at his task, but he didn't complain. He half-ran, half-glided over to the blue house, then went near a window. He jumped at it, then, surprisingly, managed to open it with his strong paws. "It's open," he growled, looking back at the perplexed looks on the rest of the group's faces.

"Alright then," Naoki said, quite surprised. "Takumi, Shun, I know you can do this. Just go in there, find the device, and get out as quickly as possible."  
Takumi looked at the open window with a lost, deep expression on his smooth face. Suddenly, it occurred to him that Naoki may have overlooked a few things.

"But Naoki, what if they have a burglar alarm?"  
"Don't worry, we can escape if they do. And just to make sure -" Naoki brought his D-Monster from his pocket and pushed the top button, transforming himself into the wizard Digimon, Sorcerimon.

"I'm counting on you," Naoki said, nodding towards his companions.

Suddenly, Takumi felt that his fate was in good hands. Naoki, although young, was smart - was brave. And he felt safe in the hands of the kid, even if they were four years younger than his own. He was remarkable - strong, independent, confident - something he would never be.

Takumi nodded back and along with Shun, climbed up the wall and up to the open window. Kibamon retreated to the rest of the group, who hid among the bushes, watching their work.

"Who's going first?" Shun asked, and Takumi thanked Naoki for choosing two people to go into the house, he wouldn't be able to do this all alone . . .

"I will," Takumi offered. With extreme caution, he climbed through the window and soon found himself inside Yuka's house. He felt extremely uncomfortable, being in someone else's home, but he kept assuring himself that this was for a good purpose, that even though this was a crime, it would stop an even greater crime. To his relief, no burglar alarm sounded. Everything would go fine. He and Shun would just have to find Yuka's device. Takumi helped Shun up through the window. His landing was not as good as Takumi's however, and he fell on his back on the floor. However, the floor was soft and he received no injury. Shun got up, then was back to normal, and looked around the house.

"Let's get out of here soon," he said, and he made a motion like he was cold.

"ARE YOU THERE!?"  
Takumi jumped. "Who -" Then he realized it was Naoki's voice, coming through his D-Monster device. He had been so paralyzed with fear in the strange little house that the slightest sound made him jump. He was relieved when he found out that it was a friendly voice.

"Loud and clear," Takumi replied, as Shun gazed over his shoulder. "Naoki, what should we do?"  
"I'm picking up a signal from her device," was the reply. "It should be upstairs. There you will get further instructions."  
"Roger," Takumi said into his device playfully, and he motioned for Shun to climb the stairs with him. When he got to the top, he looked around. All the doors were closed.

"Ready to hear instructions," Takumi said into his device. Shortly after he heard:  
"Take a right. You should see a bathroom."  
"Yes -"  
"The room next to it seems to be Yuka's room. That's where the device's signal is coming from. Get it."  
"Right," Takumi replied, and, overcome with excitement, entered the room that Naoki had indicated.

Takumi looked around, along with Shun. Suddenly, the latter let out a cry of excitement:  
"Look over there!"

There, lying on the bedside table, was the little girl's D-Monster Digivice, brown in color.

"We've found it!" Takumi said, but not to his own device.

Shun snatched it.

"Come on, let's go," he said, but Takumi was already out the door and hastening door the steps.

"Wait up!" Shun told Takumi, and followed him. The stairs felt longer than ever, but Takumi was excited. Finally, he would get out of the house, return the digivice, and return home, everything fine - perhaps even better than fine.

Meanwhile, Miho, Naoki, and Ryota (still in his Digimon mode), talked in silence.

"D'ya think they'll make it?" Miho asked when it had been a few minutes since they had entered the house.

"They'll be fine," Naoki coaxed, looking at his device again. They had already picked up the device and heading out the door.

"Naoki, you're so cool -" Miho said. "- I mean, for a little kid. You're like a little brother!"  
Naoki blushed shyly. "Thanks," he muttered, not knowing exactly what to say. And it was only then that it dawned on him -

"Oh no!" he exclaimed, with a look of extreme fright on his normally calm and cheerful face.

"What's wrong?" Kibamon grunted.

"Yuka's baby brother!" Naoki said suddenly.

His friends looked confused.

Back in the house, Takumi was finding his way out of the window. He jumped, then felt solid earth.

"Here's the device," whispered Shun, throwing the device down at him, as well as his own.

Takumi caught it and put them in his pocket, with his own D-Monster digivice.

"Takumi!"

It was Naoki's voice again.

"What?" he said.

"Get out of that house now!" Naoki shouted through the device.

"What'dya mean?" Takumi asked, but just a second later he saw something that made him jump in fright. "Shun, get out!" he whispered.

"What?" Shun said, but it was too late, Takumi ran back through the woods to find his friends.

Shun shrugged and almost managed to get out of the house, but a figure at the top of the stairs stopped him:  
"OH NO YOU DON'T! THIEF! I'LL CALL THE POLICE ON YOU!"  
Shun whipped around. Coming down the stairs frantically was a tall woman with bushes of dirty-blonde hair.

__

Next time on Digimon Genesis!

Shun Oshiro, AKA "F-boy" has been caught with "attempted robbery"! Even his many, many enemies will have to feel sorry for him as he faces court, and perhaps even juvenile hall! But the thing that worries Takumi, Ryota, Naoki, and Miho is - will he reveal the secrets of the transformations? Find out in Chapter 10 of Digimon Genesis:  
  
"SACRIFICES"

  
  


**  
  
**


	10. Sacrifices

****

DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER X  
SACRIFICES  
  
Takumi ran from the house as fast as he could. He slid into the bushes, where his friends were hiding - well, most of his friends, anyway. One of them was inside of the house - possibly being charged with burglary this very second. One might think of committing such a crime as extremely bad - and it was. But this crime was carried out to stop an even greater crime - a burglary, opposed to a murder.   
  
Takumi and Shun agreed to enter a thought-to-be-vacant house and steal a device. This device would allow the respective human to turn into a Digimon - a digital monster. If someone did not own a device and had the ability to transform into a monster, then they were in serious trouble. Because without the D-Monster (the name of the device) - they would be uncontrollable. With the D-Monster, they would be able to control their monstrous bodies. Takumi and Shun had succeeded in stealing the device, which had been inside the house. Takumi was the first - and only - one to get out of the house without being seen. It turned out that the house was occupied - by a babysitter. She had not spotted Takumi, but had seen Shun.  
  
The escaped burglar reviewed this in his minds as he sank in the grass beside his friends.   
  
"I'm so sorry!" Naoki said. "It's all my fault!"  
  
"It's not your fault!" Takumi gasped. "All - mine -"  
  
"I should have remembered there would be a babysitter if - oh I'm so stupid! I'm so sorry!"  
  
Takumi stopped arguing to catch his breath. "C-couldn't you use an Amnesia Charm on her?" he panted to Naoki, indicating the babysitter. "I mean - we could -"  
Naoki stood up, almost ready to do what Takumi asked, but then ducked down in fear. "No . . ." he said soberly, "It's too risky - the police may see us if they're there - but -"  
  
"CAN'T YOU DO SOMETHING!?" Takumi shouted. "IT'S MY FAULT! DO - SOMETHING! I CAN'T - !"  
  
"Takumi, be quiet!" Ryota ordered, crossing his arms. "Don't shout, or they'll here you!"  
  
Takumi had totally forgotten to keep quiet. At the time, it didn't seem like anything they did - or didn't do - would matter. Inside, he could hear a baby crying.  
"It's my fault," Naoki said quietly. "I should have remembered that Yuka's baby brother would be staying here with a babysitter. I should have been more careful - and now look what's happened!"  
  
Takumi banged with fists on the ground in anger. He had never felt so angry before - if only -  
Suddenly, he started to glow a bright red color.  
"Takumi!" Naoki shouted. "Press the button on your device, you're getting really angry and you're going to transform!"  
Takumi did as he was told, pressing the button repeatedly until he calmed down. Instead of being angry and pounding his fists on the grass, he looked at the house along with his friends. He didn't notice that there was a tear in his eyes, and a burning sensation inside his throat.  
"Come on," Naoki whispered, seconds later. "I think we'll be safe if we get nearer to the house. Let's hear what's going on."  
The others nodded in agreement, except for Takumi, who was bent out of shape over the theft. At this point, he regretted going to the trouble to steal the device. He would rather have left the device alone and let that girl kill anybody she wanted to . . .  
  
The group crept nearer to the house, and under a porch in the back of the house. Because of all the shouting within the kitchen, they were able to hear the voices clearly ...  
"I bet you thought that you could get past Nameko Soseki, eh?" This was the babysitter.  
"Please, ma'am, let me explain . . ." That was Shun.  
At these five words, Takumi, Ryota, Naoki, and Miho flinched. Would Shun reveal their dark secret?  
  
"I'll let you explain! . . . right after I call the cops on you!"  
  
"Please, ma'am, I was just -"  
  
Soseki must have gone off to dial the police, because the next moment her words were indistinct. They did hear the sound of the phone hit the cradle, though, so she must have been finished by now.  
  
"Hear that!?" Soseki threatened. "The cops are gonna be here any minute. They won't like a boy in the Hamada's house . . . ooh, wait until they hear about you! You've done me a wonderful favor, boy, I might get paid triple for this . . . I caught a robber, who might've come to hurt their baby! Any other babysitter would have been scared off, but not Big Soseki! She'll be sure to . . ."  
  
"Ma'am," Shun argued. "I was just . . ."  
  
"Don't 'I was just' me, young man! Explain yourself, robbing a house at this time!"  
  
"I'm trying to ex -"  
  
"Oh ho! Can't say anything, can you? Can you? Kidnapping, I'll expect! Robbing Mrs. Hamada's jewels, I reckon . . . or maybe you thought you'd kill someone tonight, how 'bout that?"  
  
"No, ma'am, I -"  
  
"Don't 'no ma'am' me, I know what you think of me as - but I don't care, a criminal boy   
like you -"  
  
"I'm not a criminal!"  
  
"Yes, you are!"  
  
The argument went on and on, until Takumi buried his face in his arms. He couldn't believe this - how he wished that he was the one who had been punished . . . Shun didn't deserve it . . . he didn't deserve this . . .  
  
Gradually, they heard sirens, obviously coming to the Hamada residence. Now Shun was in for it . . .  
Takumi felt extremely bad about Shun's possible arrest, but the rest of the group had other concerns, such as if he would reveal the secret of the transformations. Takumi would have liked for this to happen, actually - then Shun would be cleared, their actions would be justified, and the group that started all of this mess would be the ones in trouble. No, no, thought Takumi, looking over the matter again. He wouldn't like that.  
  
The group almost jumped when they heard a knock on the door of the house. They waited in silence until the door was opened.   
"Good, good, good," they heard the babysitter say.  
"Where is he, ma'am?" a policeman asked.  
"Over in the kitchen."  
They heard footsteps over their heads as the police made their way to the kitchen to the house. They could not hear what the policeman said to Shun, but it seemed as though they were trying to get a confession out of him.  
  
"Don't argue with me. Just tell me why you're here!" they heard.  
"I - I -"  
_Here it comes,_ Takumi thought. _He's going to tell everything. They'll search for us . . . they'll find us . . . there will be news about us . . . we won't be normal . . ._  
Imagine Takumi's surprise when Shun's reply came. "I - I was looking for drugs," the boy lied.  
The group gasped. Takumi could have shouted. He would have wanted him to say anything but that. He thought over what would happen if the police found out about their transformations. Maybe they would let them go . . . if only Shun had said something other than that . . . he didn't have to lie to protect his friends . . .  
  
"We're taking you to the police station, son," they heard the policeman announce. The interview was over.  
Silently, the group left the scene of the crime. They didn't speak. They were regretful - they were sad - even Miho and Ryota, who left for their homes. Takumi and Naoki stayed together.  
"I'm so stupid," Naoki muttered. "It's all my fault."  
"Shut up," Takumi rasped. "It's not your fault. If I hadn't been such a stupid jerk then maybe Shun could have escaped."   
  
"What are you going to tell that girl?"  
  
"I guess I'll just bring her the device and tell her everything."  
  
"You have it, don't you?"  
  
Takumi shifted his pockets and brought out not one, not two, but three devices - a red one, a gray one, and a light blue one. "I forgot," he said surprisingly. "Before Shun got caught, he told me to take his device for a second."  
  
"You hang on to Shun's," Naoki ordered. "I'll take the other." He picked up the light blue device. "I just hope we're not too late. If she transforms during her camping trip -" He did not continue. Both knew what would happen if so. "I wonder what Digimon she turns into," he said suddenly.  
  
"Don't care," was the reply from Takumi. "She's caused enough trouble as it is. I'd better get home now. My mom will have a fit."  
"Me too," Naoki agreed. "My parents are probably calling the police now." This was meant as a joke, but it was taken heavily by his companion. Both started home, their pockets full of devices and their hearts full of guilt.  
  
* * *  
When Takumi arrived home late that night, he expected his mother to come racing too him and hug him because of the fact that she was so worried. However, this did not happen. To his surprise, his mother was fast asleep - on the stairs.  
"Mom - what are you doing?" her son asked.  
  
His mother rolled over on the stairs, then muttered an exclamation of pain. "Ow!" she muttered, rubbing her back. "H-how did I get here?" she asked, looking at the stairs. "Oh, Takumi. So glad you're home. You know, I had the strangest dream. About a burglar." This did not enlighten his spirits. He felt mad at his mother for sharing the dream as it reminded him of Shun, and almost shouted at her not to mention it, having forgotten the fact that she had no idea about the "burglary" at the girl's house, or who Shun Oshiro even was.  
  
"I'm going upstairs, mom," he told his parent, who did not notice his sad, indistinct tone as she was rubbing her aching back.  
He went up to his room. He put the two D-Monster devices on his dresser. He wondered if Shun would get so angry with himself that he would transform while he was under arrest. Takumi didn't care, really, maybe then Shun would be released and the truth would let out.  
  
* * *  
  
"Shun - Shun - how do we get out?" Takumi asked.  
  
"We can't," was the reply. "We're trapped in here."  
  
Takumi and Shun were inside the only cells in the county jail. "Why is this happening to us!?" the prisoners shouted together.  
  
"I'm sorry," Takumi heard a voice say. "It's all my fault."  
  
Takumi whipped around. Naoki was standing outside of his cell. Suddenly, he began to feel very dizzy. The cell spun, faster and faster, then abruptly stopped. Takumi saw his mother replacing Naoki. "I had the strangest dream," she told him. "That there was a burglar at our house. That dream - was true!" she shouted. She buried her face in her arms and cried.  
  
"No - please - no!" he shouted, as his mother, the jail cell, and Shun faded.  
  
* * *  
  
"A dream - a dream," Takumi told himself, waking up. "It was all a dream." Lightning flashed. He looked outside of his window. Rain was pouring. A dream! He raced down the stairs in his pajamas, sped over towards the kitchen, and heard his mother sipping coffee.  
  
"Mom!" he shouted happily. "What day of the week is it?"  
  
"Rainday," was the reply. "And I was hoping to go for a jog. Guess I'll just have to go on the treadmill."  
  
"What?" he exclaimed.  
  
"Sunday," Mrs. Hito said after another sip of coffee. "Though it doesn't look much like it, does it?" She indicated the storm outside. "And I was so hoping to get out of the house today. Sunday's the only day of the week when I have spare time, and now -" she ranted on.  
  
It was not the rain, but the day of the week, that depressed Takumi. He had been wishing that Shun's arrest - the robbery of the device - had all been a nightmare.  
  
"Ooh, maybe it'll clear up!" Mrs. Hito exclaimed, pressing the POWER button on the remote control. The television in the kitchen hummed on to Channel 2, where Jeopardy was airing.  
  
"Is there an X?" one of the female contestants asked, but before Takumi could hear the answer, his mother had switched to Channel 34, where the ONN was airing.  
  
"This is Ryan Royama," said the reporter.  
  
"And I'm Abu Abukara," said another man with greasy black hair.  
  
"And I'm Jumi Jimbo," said the only female of the news reporters.  
  
"Reporting for ONN," announced Royama. "Your Obligitary News Network. Let's begin with you, Abu, with sports."  
  
"Okay," Abukara replied, folding his papers. "What began as a crucial soccer match between British rivals at Sheffield's Hillsborough Stadium suddenly turned into the most violent scene in European "football" history. Yesterday, April the fifteenth, minutes after the game began, late arriving fans surged into the small stadium, creating a virtual deathtrap. Ninety-five people were crushed to death and over two-thousand were left injured." It showed scenes of people in stretchers, being taken to the hopsital after the event.  
  
"And it all began as a fantastic soccer match."  
  
"It did, Ryan. Really sad. Now, back to you."  
  
"Now it's Jumi Jimbo, with the weather!"  
  
Mrs. Hito rubbed her back, which must have still been sore. "About time."  
"As you can see," Jumi indicated a chart behind her. "Rain is coming in from the sea. We'll have some heavy showers in several areas."  
  
Mrs. Hito shook her head. "Get out of the way of the chart, lady! No one can see it!"  
As Jumi Jimbo could not hear Takumi's mother, she continued on. "We may also be experiencing a hurricane."  
  
"But when?!" Mrs. Hito shouted. "Could be outside right now!"  
  
"And even though it's April," the female news reporter said, "We might be experiencing a couple of flurries."  
  
"How many?" Royama asked, interested.  
  
"Mmm," Jumi hummed through pursed lips. "About - two."  
"I hate Jumi Jimbo!" Mrs. Hito roared. "She's such - such a bimbo!"  
"In short," Jimbo continued, unknown to the fact that miles away from the television station in which she worked, she was being called a bimbo, "It'll be rainy and wet today, so remember to wear a raincoat when going outdoors."  
  
Takumi's mother looked quite irritated. "No jogging today. Guess I will have to start up the old treadmill." She then noticed that Takumi was still there. "Why don't you fix yourself some breakfast?" she asked politely.  
  
He did, he made some bacon, grits, eggs, biscuits, and sausage. His mission the previous night had made him quite hungry, and he also did not recieve any dinner. His mother seated herself at the table with him, oblivious to the fact that the television was still running.  
  
"I think from now on I'll just read the newspaper to get the forecast," she scowled. Takumi listened intently at the television. Would they mention the "burglary"? What he heard on the news next made him drop the sausage he had been eating into his grits.  
"Eyewitnesses report that a large, lizard-like creature was seen in the air yesterday evening. Now, we give you an exclusive picture of the dragon, seen here." They showed the picture of - Hiamon.  
  
Takumi gasped, but his mother didn't notice. Instead, she laughed. "Ha! A dragon. Just some old guy wanting to get some publicity, so he makes this fake picture of a flying lizard."  
"We have an exclusive interview with one of the eyewitnesses," Ryan Royama the reporter continued. The camera then faced a man who looked like he was in his fifties.  
"I was just cutting my grass out late last night, when I hear this huge SWOOSH. I like up 'bove my head, and I saw a huge dragon!"  
  
Mrs. Hito chuckled after the interview with the middle-aged man. "Just as I thought," she said. "Just some old guy who wants some publicity. Nothing to worry about."  
Takumi, however, had a lot to worry about. What if they found out his secret? That wouldn't be so bad . . . but then there was the fact that he had already killed two people as Hiamon. The only thing that interrupted his thoughts was the sharp ring of the telephone in the kitchen.  
  
"Hello?" he asked into the electronic.  
  
"Hello," was the reply. "You are identified as Takumi Hito, a friend of the teenage robber, Shun Oshiro. Is that correct?"  
  
Takumi had originally thought that it was some salesman. His mother had told him time and time again that if it was a salesman to hang up the phone immediately. This mysterious call mystified him.  
  
"Yes," he muttered.  
  
"Shun Oshiro has allowed you to come down to the police station. You are allowed to stay for one hour."  
  
"Alright," Takumi said quietly, for when talking to important people such as policeman, he expressed a wave of respect.  
  
After making an excuse to his mother that he was going to the store to get some groceries (his mother would never, ever allow him to be in the eyesight of a "criminal"), and despite the fact that it was still raining, he headed out to the police station on his red bicycle, not forgetting to pack his D-Monster digivice, as well as Shun's, and some money that would be used to go to the "grocery store". The police station was about three miles away from the Hito home, which was not a long ride for his bike, which could outdistance some cars. He hung up his bicycle on the bike rack, which didn't hold any others. For a split second he was worried that someone might steal it, as he had no chain lock on his bike, but then came to his senses. No one would steal a bicycle in front of a police station. He cast his glance in front of the large place.  
  
The police station was an ugly, important-looking building, with practically no windows and a small door at the entrance. Takumi entered the estate nervously, and after being questioned about who he was and who he wanted to see, he was sorted into a small room with an extremely small window. He noticed that Ryota, Naoki, and Miho had already arrived, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Oshiro. Takumi tried to avoid their glance as he approached Shun, who sat on a small bench below the window.  
  
"Hi," Takumi greeted, but it didn't contain any enthusiasm. He didn't dare look into Shun's eyes. After all, it _was_ his fault.  
"Hello," Shun said, with the same amount of enthusiasm Takumi included in his greeting.  
"Here's your device," Takumi muttered, handing him his gray D-Monster.  
"Thanks," Shun said quietly, but it still did not contain any enthusiasm.  
Feeling extremely sorry for Shun, Takumi turned around and stared around the room. Ryota and Miho were also silent in a corner. He guessed that they were telling each other their true feelings about Shun, who they pretended they detested. _If anyone needs to be sorry about Shun's capture, it's them,_ he thought.  
  
He turned his gaze to the Oshiros, who were sobbing and talking extremely quietly in the middle of the room. Mr. Oshiro was a tall, balding man, with brown whiskers. Mrs. Oshiro was a small, plump woman, with her blonde, silky hair tied back in a bun.  
"Where could he have gone wrong?" Takumi heard Mrs. Oshiro saying.  
_This is stupid,_ Takumi thought, then left the room, as well as the police station. He found his bicycle exactly where he had left it, except that he noticed the puddle which had been below it had grown enormously, which made sense, because during the small amount of time he had spent in the police station, the rain had turned from drizzling to pouring. Disgusted, he pedaled home, but not before going to an absurdly cold grocery store, to cover his excuse.  
  
"You're late!" his mother sang out as he came home with two bags of groceries on his arms.  
"I know," Takumi said, then lied:  
"The line was really long. There was a lady over there who bought, like, fifty things."  
Mrs. Hito began chopping up some meat that she had on the counter. "Yep. You get those people in every store. Sometimes I wonder they just buy so many things just to show off . . ." Then, hastily changing the subject, she joked: "Find a dragon?"  
"If I do, I'll kill it," he promised, then returned up to his room.  
  
* * *  
  
It had been a long day. After dinner, Takumi had gone back to his room to go to sleep. He was tired. The emotions of guilt, anger, and hatred ran through his veins. Then . . . he looked beside his bed. A person was standing there. And another. And on the other side of his bed . . . too more people. Takumi knew what was coming. And yet . . . he didn't. He felt like his eyes were seeing, but his brain wasn't thinking . . . who were these people? He closed his eyes, as if he weren't minding them . . . and then he heard:  
  
"Search - this is your job."  
  
He woke up the next morning, and couldn't remember a thing, except for that one sentence.  
  
_Next time on Digimon Genesis!  
Now that Shun is going to Juvenile Hall, rumors from all sides of the school spill. It will take Takumi to sort things out and let others understand the real Shun - but who will help him? A friend will have to show their true nature in order to set things right, on the next Digimon Genesis:  
  
ONE CHOICE_


	11. One Choice

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon. STUPID DISCLAIMER! WAY TO GO, YOU'VE RUINED THE WHOLE FIC! NOW I HAVE TO TYPE THE WHOLE CHAPTER WITH A STUPID DISCLAIMER AT THE TOP! WHAT A WORLD . . . what a world . . .  
  
_Previously, on Digimon Genesis, Shun was caught "robbing" a house by a babysitter! Looks like the party's over! But instead of giving himself and his friends away, Shun lied and said that he had been looking for drugs. Uh-oh! Now he's going to juvenile hall, and Takumi feels it's all his fault. Things get worse the next morning - but not before he has another dream of the strange people that chose him to become a Digimon - it turns out that some people saw him flying as Hiamon! Now he's in trouble! With the whole town on the lookout for "dragons" and everyone talking over the punishment of Shun, it's going to be hard to get back to regular life on the next Digimon Genesis!_  
  
**DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER XI  
ONE CHOICE**  
  
Takumi woke up from the strange dream he had experienced that night. There had been those people - the ones that had chose him to become a Digimon, in it - and now he knew one of their names - two, actually, he thought later - "Stone" and "Search". He rubbed his eyes. Another normal day for Takumi Hito, age twelve, seventh grader of East Yokohama Middle School.  
  
After putting on a filthy old pair of jeans with too many holes and a shirt slightly too small for him, he arrived downstairs and took an apple from the fruit basket. He munched into it, looking at his mother, who was viewing the news on television. "What's up, Mom?" he said through a piece of dirty apple in his mouth. "Anything on the news?" He had grown used to this method of going downstairs and eating breakfast like a normal kid - he would have to, in order to fool his mother, who appeared to be getting more suspicious of his behavior everyday.  
  
"Oh, nothing," was the reply from Mrs. Hito, who didn't even look up. "Just some kid got arrested yesterday - no wait" (Takumi almost choked on his apple) - "Saturday. Very late on Saturday, too."  
  
He coughed up the apple and spit it in the sink, then turned to his mother, and said, as those interested:  
  
"What was he arrested for?"  
  
"Oh, you know what kids are arrested for nowadays. Drugs. Can't get enough of it. I just hope you never ever take drugs, Takumi."  
  
He tried to change the subject, the matter of discussing the arrest of a close friend did not appeal to him. "Did you ever take drugs, Mom?"  
  
Takumi never really took the time to know his mother well, she was usually at work. This did not mind him. He preferred to be alone - most of the time.  
  
"Actually - I did," was the nervous reply. "I used to smoke a lot." She must have noticed Takumi's surprised face, for she then added brightly:  
"But I stopped when I met your father."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"He was always such an expert on health," she said   
dreamily. "I stopped smoking when I learned what would happen to my lungs if I continued."  
  
Takumi did not say anything in response to this, he had learned over the years that he should not interrupt when she was speaking of his dead father.  
  
"And guess what? Now I feel just as good without a cigarette. I'm just sorry I didn't stop sooner. In high school, I should've gotten a counselor or something . . ."  
  
Takumi's instincts turned on. "I'm seeing a counselor now," he said, and the second after he finished saying it, he regretted that he had.  
  
"Are you?" asked Mrs. Hito, seeming pleased. "When I was your age, I had a counselor too. His name was - I think it was Mr. Saga. Yes, that's right. So -" It was one of the long "so"s where a person was about to ask you a question. "Is he nice?"  
  
"Yes, very," was the reply, as Takumi noticed that there was a seed in his mouth. After he had wrenched it out, he added: "He broke his leg on Friday."  
  
"Did he? That's too bad. Will he see you today?"  
"Miss Andrews said that I would. She also said that if the conferences went well, I'd be able to make up a test that I - got a bad grade on."  
  
"Well, that's very nice. Oh - look at the time!" she stammered, checking her watch, which she often neglected to look at. "I must be going to work now. I'll be home around seven. Alright, Takumi?"  
  
Her son nodded as she headed out the door.  
  
Takumi finished munching on the apple until a tiny core was all that remained. He threw it away in the trash, then put some books that he had done for homework into his large book bag. He threw the pack over his shoulder, then hastened out the door as his mother had done.  
  
He walked to the bus stop, which was a considerable distance from his home. He expected to be greeted by the normal End-of-Weekend cheer of the other students at the stop, but instead found them happily gossiping over the arrest of Shun.  
  
"I always knew that he was going to get it, one day," he heard a sandy-haired boy say to several of his friends.  
  
"He deserved it," agreed another.   
  
"I always knew something was wrong with him." The voice was familiar. It was Ryota. Takumi was so angry he could have transformed on the spot.   
  
_How dare Ryota talk like that_, he thought, after pressing a button on his D-Monster device to make sure that he wouldn't transform. Takumi knew that Ryota often made fun of Shun, but nonetheless, Ryota had to feel bad about him. _If he had any common sense,_ Takumi thought, gritting his teeth and absent-mindedly making a fist at Ryota, _he'd tell everyone that Shun was kind - not the idiot that most people think he is._   
  
"Poor, poor F-boy," he heard Ryota saying, "If only he knew better. But who can blame him? It's not like it's entirely his fault -" he paused in order to allow the group around him to laugh - "I mean, a mentally retarded person can't be expected -"  
  
"STOP IT!" Takumi shouted. He couldn't help it. His mind was on setting things straight with the rest of the students. He didn't want to tell them what really happened - but he was going to tell them that Shun Oshiro was not the jerk that people imagined he was. Ryota's friends raised their eyebrows at Takumi's shout. It was odd, if you were a member of the group at the bus stop, you would have thought that Takumi had popped up from the ground.  
  
"Stop what?" Ryota asked.  
  
"As if you don't know!" he shouted back. "I want you to stop badmouthing Shun!"  
  
"What's wrong, Takumi?" Ryota said coolly, and he realized that it made Ryota look much better when he spoke in an almost whisper voice. "Never knew you'd stick up for F-boy. But I shouldn't be surprised -" he paused again as his friends snorted, - "I hear you don't get very good grades yourself. Birds of a feather . . ."   
  
At this, the whole bus stop laughed. Takumi didn't care if he were against twelve other students, and he was alone - he was going to prove his point, no matter how much comebacks Ryota made.  
  
"Listen!" he roared. "Just because you never knew Shun -"  
  
At that moment, the sound of a large bus was heard. It came down the street, creaking and crashing its way to the stop.  
  
"You're in luck, Takumi," Ryota said quietly, "The school bus is coming today. I'm so happy - now you can receive a proper education." His chums howled with laughter. Takumi saw Ryota smirk at him before he climbed up the steps on the bus. Takumi was the last to enter.  
  
"Hurry up!" demanded the old bus driver, and because of this he felt the sudden urge to knock the old coot out with his book bag. He eventually found his seat near the back of the bus, where hardly anyone sat. He sat his bag beside him and stared at the numerous signs on the bus. One of them was a 'BUS RULES' sign, complete with over ten rules, including:  
  
1. No gum  
2. No swearing  
3. No kissing  
4. No singing  
5. No shouting  
6. No fighting  
7. No sleeping  
8. No eating  
9. No drinking  
10. Two to a seat  
11. No spitting  
12. Obey the rules  
  
Takumi sighed and closed his eyes as he lay his head back on his seat. He had a headache. How he wished he could just skip school today and fall asleep in his bed . . . he didn't care if he had dreams of those stupid people who turned him into a Digimon. He wanted to get away from the world . . . he wanted to fall in a deep sleep and never wake up in the merciless world of humans.  
  
He opened his eyes slightly as a voice shouted in his ears:  
"HEY! You lad! Read the rules! NO SLEEPING!"  
  
Takumi stirred, then realized they had arrived at East Yokohama Middle School. He picked up his bag and left the dark bus, and filed out with the rest of it's occupants.   
  
The whole school seemed to be engaged over the discussion of the "robbery" that former student Shun Oshiro committed. He ignored all the talk and made his way to the unorganized classroom of Miss Andrews. She was talking with Mr. Akimoto, the gym instructor. He caught some of their words:  
  
"Isn't it dreadful, Satoshi, about that Oshiro boy? I wish we could have brought him up better, you know . . . not that _you_ didn't help, of course, it's just . . ." Miss Andrews was talking.  
  
"He was always a quiet sort of boy. Never gave him a second thought though . . ."  
  
"Satoshi, didn't he ever have counseling?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, he did. I know that Flint tried hard with him, but that type . . ." Suddenly, their words were hushed, but Takumi could still catch them.  
  
"Satoshi . . . we have one . . . and it's like . . . like he's a second Oshiro . . ."  
  
"You mean, Miss Andrews, the boy that Flint's working on right now?"  
  
"Yes - Takumi Hito."  
  
Takumi suddenly wished he had not listened in on their conversation.  
  
"Do - do you think, Miss Andrews, that Flint will be able to do anything about him? Now that you mention it . . ."  
  
"I know. They seem like the exact same type. Very quiet . . . other interests . . ."  
  
"Well, I'm sure that Flint will be able to work him out. I saw him last night, and, mind you, he doesn't seem like himself anymore."  
  
"I guess he's all worked up about the robbery," Miss Andrews said sympathetically.  
  
"Obviously . . . I think he's going to try harder . . . of course, it wasn't his fault . . ."  
  
"Sometimes things just happen that way."  
  
"Yeah - I didn't know that Shun was doing drugs, though."  
  
"Me neither. Do you think we could have - ?"  
  
"Yes. It's our duty as teachers to make sure that this doesn't happen again. Which means . . ."  
  
"Oh, Satoshi! I love it when you act all . . . all . . ."  
  
"It means that I want you - _all of us_ - to try harder on Takumi."  
  
"Right, Satoshi. It was a pleasure talking to you again, I -"  
  
"And I, you, Miss Andrews," Mr. Akimoto said, as a good-bye.  
  
"Oh yes, and . . . you can just call me Keiko, okay?" Takumi's teacher cried, as the gym teacher left the room, Takumi making sure he didn't catch Mr. Akimoto's eye.  
  
He waited by the room a few minutes. He didn't want to walk in right after they had discussed this. But he wished he could tell Miss Andrews now, and let her understand that he wasn't going to end up like Shun, in a juvenile hall (even though, of course, it wasn't drugs that landed Shun in a cell).   
  
"Hey, you!"  
  
Takumi zipped around. It was Mr. Mes, the janitor.  
  
"Look at what you've done to this here floor, boy!" he roared, and stepped aside, revealing the muddy footprints left by Takumi.  
  
"Sorry, Mr. Mes, sir - I, -"  
  
Mes wasn't the type to except apologies, however. "Come to my office, boy. We're gonna get a mop, and yo gonna clean up all this dang mess you made."  
  
Takumi would have loved to ask "Aren't you the janitor?" but Mes wasn't in good humor this morning. Together they hastened to his "office" - which was a broom cupboard. The smell of mothballs filled the hallway as Mes opened the tiny door. The moody janitor stumbled in and picked up a filthy mop that Takumi guessed was made in the forties.  
  
"Here, boy," he said, shoving the mop to him. "You'd better clean it up, and you'd better clean it up good, and if not -"  
  
The janitor's words were interrupted by an unusual sound. Flint Shale, the counselor, was in the hallway, on crutches.  
"Morning, Mr. Mes," the counselor said as he hopped by. He turned around (the best he could) when he saw Takumi.  
  
"Mornin', Mista Shale," the janitor said in reply, still in his cranky voice.  
  
Mr. Shale smiled politely. "I must see Takumi for a conference, Mr. Mes. Come on, Takumi -" he said, gesturing toward him.  
  
"'Scuse me, Mista Shale, but he needs to see me first. He walked in da school with his shoes all covered with mud 'n gunk. He's here to clean it up -"  
  
The counselor looked thoughtful. "My apologies, Okii," he said, referring to Mes by his first name. "But you'll have to excuse us -"  
  
"Buh, Mista Shale!"  
  
"I'm sure that Mr. Hito will pay for any permanent damages he has done to your floor," the counselor assured. "And," he added brightly, "aren't you the janitor?"  
  
And so Takumi and Mr. Shale (with some difficulty) walked to the guidance office, leaving a cursing Mes, who was brandishing his broom threateningly, like a club.  
  
Soon they reached the door of the small room. It was locked. "Always have to lock this door," the guidance counselor said. "You wouldn't believe how many times some students have gone for a little peek at some of my studies." He brandished about seven sets of keys from his pocket. Each looked like they could fit a tiny, tiny keyhole, but not this particular one.  
  
"You have a lot of keys," Takumi commented.  
  
"Yes," he replied. "Some of them I haven't even used yet. Some I'm not supposed to use." He quickly got out the right key, a much larger one, then opened the wooden door.  
  
Wondering why in the world someone would own keys that   
they never used, or rather, keys that were not supposed to be used, Takumi sat down in a chair across from Mr. Shale's desk.  
  
Mr. Shale himself hobbled in, taking a bit of time to put the numerous keys back in his pocket and finding his seat across from Takumi.  
  
"Ah," he said as he sat down. "That feels much better."  
  
"How'd you break your leg?" asked his patient curiously.  
  
"Fell in a hole," he said painfully, lifting up his right leg to examine it. Takumi noticed a small burn near his ankle.  
  
"So," he said, quickly changing the subject. "You said your last name's Hito, right?"  
  
"Yes," Takumi replied. He knew that the counselor had addressed him as "Mr. Hito", when with Mes, so obviously, Mr. Shale already knew his last name was Hito.  
  
"Not a very common name, is it?" he asked. "Any relation to Kairu Hito?"  
  
Takumi almost jumped from his seat in amazement. "Yes," he answered quickly. "He's my - was my father."  
  
"Oh," Mr. Shale said sympathetically. "I'm sorry for bringing it up."  
  
"That's okay," said Takumi. "Really - why did you bring it up? I mean - did you know him?"  
  
Mr. Shale smiled. "Actually, I did. We were friends. Best friends, actually, in high school."   
  
"Were you - _best friends?_"  
  
"Yes, we were. You might notice a picture of a younger me in old photographs with your father or something." Takumi dropped his mouth open. He was in awe.   
  
_Come to think of it,_ he thought, _he does look sort of familiar . . ._  
  
Noticing Takumi's amazement, the guidance counselor went on:  
"And, we both grew up to become doctors. Eventually, though, we both went our separate ways . . ." Mr. Shale's voice strayed off. "I wanted to become a counselor, working with children. He wanted to be a medical researcher."  
  
Mr. Shale looked at Takumi, who was in awe. Finally, he brought himself together and asked:  
  
"Were you there when he worked on Ebola?" he asked. Mrs. Hito had told him that Ebola, a disease in Africa, had taken it's toll on Mr. Hito.  
  
"Um . . ." It took a while for Mr. Shale to answer this question. "Well, we both worked on it. When I found no cure, that's when I decided that I would go along a different path... and I did. Your father kept on going, and then -"  
  
"He died?"  
  
"Well, I don't know for sure, I know he's dead, but - I never exactly saw him die. By then, I was back here, in Japan."  
  
"Ebola must be a very horrible disease. If it hadn't been for that disease, my dad would still be here . . ."  
  
"Yes. It's a very harmful disease."  
  
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Takumi wished he hadn't spoke them:  
"Did any of your other friends die of Ebola?"  
  
At these words, Mr. Shale jumped back. "What do you - die -" and then, suddenly:  
  
"Oh, yes. Well, I met a lot of friends during my years as a doctor. And I have to say I wish they hadn't made the decision to work on Ebola . . ."  
  
Takumi didn't ask any more questions. He didn't want to make Mr. Shale sad. But it was nice, nice, to talk to someone who knew a lot about his father . . .  
  
"I'm sorry, Takumi," Mr. Shale apologized. "I guess talking about your father is painful for both of us."  
  
He nodded in agreement, but he didn't want to stop talking about his dad.  
  
"Now, talking about a lost loved one may feel good now," the counselor advised, "but it won't do any good in the long run. What we're aiming at, Takumi, is peace of mind, peace of heart."  
  
Takumi looked up at his counselor.  
  
"Now, is anything going better with your mom?" he asked.  
  
"No," was the answer, but thinking it over, "Yes. We talked this morning. About drugs, about school, about mom's old counselor, Mr. Saga -"  
  
"Who?!" Mr. Shale asked, jumping up and almost knocking over a can of coffee that was lying on his desk.  
  
"Mr. Saga, or something like that."  
  
"Alright," he said simply. "So, why do you say that was an improvement?"  
  
"Well -" Takumi said, as though it was obvious. "We talked. I mean, we learned more about each other -"  
  
"Right!" Mr. Shale interrupted. "You see, most reasons why families fall apart is simply because they don't _understand_ each other. If you just take the time to know your mother, she'll know you better, and you'll become closer."  
  
"Alright," Takumi agreed.  
  
"Do you know when you can talk to her?"  
  
"After . . . after she gets home from work, I guess."  
  
"Good," Mr. Shale said. "Now . . . what _other_ things can you talk to her about?" And so the discussion continued on, and after it was time to go Takumi felt somewhat better. He liked Mr. Shale. Aside from talking about his father, he was also a great counselor. If only he had a book that could help him out whenever he was in a problem such as with his mother . . . or something that could help him deal with becoming a Digimon . . .  
  
"Oh, yes, Takumi," the counselor reminded, as his patient walked out the door. "Remember about that test. One more good session and then we'll try to redo that test, alright?"  
  
"Right," he said as he left.  
  
The instant he left Mr. Shale's small office, he began to regret being in school. If only he could have talked to Mr. Shale about Shun . . .  
  
It didn't take him a very long time to reach Miss Andrew's classroom. He noticed, as he opened the door and walked into her room, that Mr. Mes must have cleared up the mud that he had trailed in.  
  
"Ah, Takumi!" Miss Andrews greeted as he walked in. Several faces peered at him from behind their desks. "Good to see you . . . sit right down . . ." As he walked by, she whispered in his ear:  
  
"Did the conference go well?"  
  
"Very."  
  
He found his seat, which he saw that his neighbor, Masami Okabe, was using the empty desk as a wastebasket for his useless papers. Masami grinned nervously and snatched up the junk papers as Takumi sat down.  
  
"Alright, now it's time for Science," Miss Andrews directed, standing up from her old, blue chair and pulling a science book from her desk.  
  
Takumi, and most of the remainder of the class, except Yuuko, the teacher's pet, groaned. Science was his least favorite subject, besides Language Arts, Geography, Math, Gym, and Keyboarding . . . actually, he hated all the subjects equally. Yuuko, however, looked rather excited as she brought out her mint condition science book.  
  
"Now . . . turn to page three hundred and seventy three, class. I hope all of you remembered to do the homework on identifying rocks." Her eyes narrowed as she gazed at Chiaki, who was humming loudly as he studied the dinosaur section of the textbook. "Now, if you will pass in your homework . . ." Takashi Shimada collected the homework from each row of desks, then handed it over to Miss Andrews, who piled them up neatly and reviewed them. "Very good, Yuuko . . . tut tut . . . she was the only one to find the differences between sandstone and pumice . . . Adamu, you didn't do numbers one through six . . . I will take off for that . . . Chiaki . . . this isn't homework. It's just a crude drawing of a witch. I suggest you - what - _is that me?!_ Chiaki, that is extremely offensive, and I will be giving you two more detentions for this . . . and I will be speaking to Mrs. Falle . . . she'll find some way to deal with you, I'm sure . . ."  
  
Chiaki groaned as Miss Andrews put the papers aside and wrote something in a small notebook.  
  
The class droned on from there, Takumi researching all sorts of different kind of rocks which he had no idea why anyone would bother to name. He was quite relieved when the bell rang for Keyboarding, which he had with Mrs. Questus, where he learned more about her life in general than anything else.  
  
The students in her class waited impatiently at their typewriters as she droned on and on about how one of her seven brothers had perilous adventures while milking a cow.  
  
"Boring life enough without her making it more boring," grumbled one of the students as Takumi headed to the cafeteria, where he had a horrible lunch, as he always had on Monday (cheese salad with bacon bits), then went to math class, where they were discussing dividing fractions.  
  
"Need any help?" Miss Andrews asked politely of Takumi as he doodled on his math homework.  
  
"Not really," he said, wondering why his teacher was helping him more than any other student. Then he realized that it must be because she thought he was going to evolve into a robber, just like everyone thought Shun had become.  
  
The next class was gym, which he had every Monday.  
  
"Doing okay, Takumi?" asked Mr. Akimoto, the gym teacher. He clapped his hands together. This was odd, Mr. Akimoto almost never referred to students by their first names.  
  
"Fine," was the answer, Takumi realizing that Mr. Akimoto had the same fears of Miss Andrews. This was annoying, he hated being regarded like this.  
  
He grabbed his gym bag and walked slowly to the boy's locker room, where Teran Turpis, a big, stupid bully, was trying to flush Masami Okabe's shorts down the toilet.  
  
Takumi dressed into his gym clothes with no interruption, then grabbed his gym bag and hastened out the door, ignoring wild roars from the interior of the locker room.  
  
The gym class was a dull one: Mr. Akimoto greeted Takumi and patted him on the back, then they huffed and puffed as they ran around the basketball court twelve times, then, stomachs aching, working on relay races, and finally turning in with a large dose of water, where Takumi had to wait for a long time.  
  
"Glad to see you were early for this class," Mr. Akimoto said, grinning. "Hope you keep it up. I expect you back here early next Monday." Takumi really wanted to hit his gym teacher on the head with his gym bag, even though, he thought afterwards, he was just being nice, and that wasn't a thing to complain about.  
  
"Have you seen my shorts?" Masami asked, in nothing but his boxers. Takumi shook his head and slipped on his original clothes, which felt much more comfortable. He quickly made his way out of the gym as the bell rang for history class. He stopped on his way for water from the fountain.  
  
History class . . . this was the only time he had ever been looking forward to it. No, it wasn't really history class he was looking forward to . . . it was that girl . . . Reina Yoshida.  
  
He skipped to his remaining class and sat behind the beautiful girl. He stared at her beautiful, brown hair. It seemed smooth as silk. He could not take his eyes off her, not even to focus on Miss Andrews, giving a lecture on how Marco Polo had traveled to China. Not even enough to focus on Miss Andrews when he asked a question.  
  
"Let me repeat this. What was Marco Polo's first job?"  
  
Wow, he thought, looking at Reina's perfect shoulders.  
  
"TAKUMI!"  
  
"Ah!"  
  
Takumi almost jumped out of his seat in fright. He suddenly realized where he was. Reina turned around and giggled at him. Takumi froze in horror. Did she know he liked her?  
  
"Takumi, perhaps you can tell me what Marco Polo's first job was?"  
  
He then found out that he hadn't been paying attention for the last thirty minutes. He tried to think. He needed to answer.  
  
"Duh - a delivery boy?"  
  
"See me after class, Takumi."  
  
It wasn't so bad. Because Miss Andrews and Mr. Akimoto were afraid that any cruel punishment may cause Takumi to rob a house, he was given a warning and nothing else. He walked out of history class, feeling as though he had made a fool out of himself.  
  
At that moment, Teran Turpis was strolling down the hall, hanging out with two of his friends, one an incredibly chubby boy with a tattoo of a snake wrapping around an apple, another a skinny boy nicknamed Bones.  
  
Takumi couldn't help noticing his loud conversation.  
  
"Hullo, I'm F-boy," he imitated, and walked around the room like he was drunk. "Duh - I think I'll come over and rob this house. What do you say, boys?"  
  
Bones smirked, Chubby laughed stupidly.  
  
Anger burned in Takumi's heart. If he was going to prove that Shun was good, he was going to have to do it right here, right now.  
  
"Hey, you better be quiet about Shun!" Takumi ordered. A group of kids watched, including Ryota and Reina.  
  
"What, you mean F-boy?" Turpis asked, looking at Bones.  
  
"You know who I'm talking about. And don't call him 'F-boy'!"  
  
"Oooh . . . and . . . what are you going to do if I don't? Fight me? Huh? Huh? Huh?" He imitated Takumi, throwing weak punches.  
  
Takumi would have backed down, for a fight with Turpis and his friends was not a wishful fate, but his anger supported him.  
  
"Look - just because Shun's got other things on his mind than school doesn't give you any right to call him F-boy!"  
  
"Right?" Turpis snarled. "I don't need any rights. I can say whatever I want. Right, Bones?"  
  
He tapped Bones on the shoulder, who was snickering loudly.  
"Besides," Turpis continued, "everyone knows he's a stupid little idiot. I mean, who the heck would rob a house when it's LIGHT?"  
  
"Don't talk about things you don't understand!" Takumi ordered.  
  
"There you go again," Turpis continued. "Listen, here. I can say whatever I want. Got that?" He brandished a huge fist.  
  
"Shun robbed that house for a good reason!"  
  
"Yeah," Turpis laughed. nudging Chubby. "Drugs."  
  
At this, Takumi's anger went beyond the limit. He hit the oversized boy a big blow on the chest.  
  
Big mistake.  
  
Turpis aimed his gigantic first at Takumi's shoulder. The blow went in. Takumi fell over with a _CLUNK._  
  
"If anyone wants to question me, they'll have to question my fist!" Turpis roared, his friends laughed.  
  
Suddenly, the boy fell over.  
  
He fell, head-first, onto the hard floor.  
  
Ryota had come from the crowd and kicked him on his back.  
"I'll question your big stupid fist," Ryota announced, then punching Chubby in the stomach. The fat boy fell over in pain, with a sickening groan.  
  
Bones, who had no plans to fight, ran from the scene.  
  
Takumi heaved himself onto his legs.  
  
"Sorry about earlier," Ryota whispered to him. "I promise, I'll make it up to you." Suddenly, Turpis stood up and lunged at Takumi. He jumped to the side just in time, allowing the heavy bloke to crash into a wall, knocking his head into it.  
  
Chubby managed to get himself up, then heaved a fat fist at Ryota. Ryota jumped back, ducked, then aimed another blow at the boy's stomach. He fell again, this time crashing into a locker.  
  
Turpis stood up, his hands over his forehead.  
  
"For your information," Ryota said, "Shun _did_ rob the house for a good purpose. And his name is Shun, not F-boy. And if anyone wants to question that, then -"  
  
Takumi kicked Turpis in the ankle, who fell down in pain.  
  
"- they'll go down just like these guys," was the final announcement made by Ryota, who happily marched out of the hallway, who managed to step on Chubby's back.  
  
The crowd that was watching broke into a cheer. They had been bullied constantly by Turpis and his gang, and they were glad that someone had taught them a lesson. Takumi caught a glance of Reina, her features broke into a warm smile. He smiled back.  
  
He felt glad as he hopped onto the bus with Ryota. Turpis had finally been brought down, Reina appeared to like him. But most of all, Ryota had become Takumi's friend. He would look upon this day as one of the best in his life and would never, ever forget it.  
  
_Next time, on Digimon Genesis!  
Miho's decided to hold a little Digimon tournament! Who is the most powerful Digimon in their group? Who has the best skills? Who has the most control? But the question in the minds of all are: Will the tournament spell disaster? Find out on the next Digimon Genesis:  
  
TOURNAMENT OF TROUBLE_


	12. Tournament of Trouble

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon. Digimon is owned by Toei, Bandai, Akiyoshi Hongo, and other various companies and persons which needn't be listed here. Oh yeah, I also don't own any pinball machines. I'd like one, though . . .

_Previously on Digimon Genesis, Takumi went off to school, where he was greeted by Ryota, who appeared to be making fun of Shun even more. He spied on Miss Andrews and Mr. Akimoto speaking of him and how he might turn out like a burglar if he wasn't guided enough! Takumi got in trouble with Mr. Mes, the janitor, but was rescued by Mr. Shale. Curious things were revealed about him, including the fact that he was once best friends with Takumi's father! At the end of the school day, Takumi met up with Teran Turpis and his gang. They were making fun of Shun and he didn't like it! Propelled by his anger, he stood up to the bullies and fought them! It didn't seem like he'd win until Ryota came in and showed his true colors - that he thought Shun was nice. They defeated the bullies and Takumi got the girl, Reina Yoshida, in the end! It's just another day in the life of Takumi Hito!  
  
_**DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER XI**

TOURNAMENT OF TROUBLE

Takumi stared out the bus window. Somewhere out there, was Reina Yoshida . . . he wondered where she was now. One thing was for certain, she wasn't on the bus. But Ryota Surashi, one of Takumi's best friends, was.

"Open the window, would you?" Ryota instructed, annoyed. "I'm so hot." He was sitting near the aisle, his comrade had a window seat.

Takumi opened the small bus window and stared out of it. Tomorrow was another day . . . and he would see Reina again.

"You're pretty quiet," Ryota commented.

Takumi grunted and continued to stare out the window, feeling the air against his face.

_BEEP._

Only five days ago, he had no clue what this sound meant, but you can learn a lot in five days.

"It's Naoki!" he said, getting out his D-Monster device. The D-Monster was a very powerful little device. Takumi's personal one was red, with a tiny LCD screen in the middle surrounded by what looked like the outside of a cage. There were three buttons on it, each with different functions. The device could be used for communicating with others, transforming into a Digimon, seeing a map of the area, and telling the time.

The sound of Naoki's voice, slightly muffled, came from the screen. Ryota bent over him to hear what Naoki was saying.

"Can you hear me, Takumi?"  
"Loud and clear!"

"Good," Naoki said, satisfied. "Listen - I talked to Yuka today."  
"About - ?"  
"About the whole Digimon thing. She believed it all."  
"That's something."

"Yeah - she said she was really sorry about what happened with Shun."  
"Yeah," Takumi answered, and he looked around his seat, "Listen, could you quiet down a bit? Some people look suspicious . . ." He looked over his seat and saw that a greasy-haired boy was surveying him with curiosity.

"Sure," was the answer from Naoki, and he continued to talk, although his voice was considerably softer. Takumi could barely hear him over the chatter of the bus. Already the bus driver turned on the lights, which was a signal to be quiet, but it was of no effect.

"Miho just called," Naoki continued. "She asked if we could all meet at her house. She said something about a Digimon tournament."  
"A _what?"_

"Never mind. Just meet me at Miho's around four thirty, alright? I've got to go . . . tell this to Ryota, alright?"  
"He's here with me."  
"Good. Well then, see you."  
"See you later," Takumi bade good-bye to the voice from his D-Monster device. He put it in his pocket, then sat back in the seat to enjoy the ride.

"What were you doing?" a voice called from the next seat. The kid with the greasy hair regarded them with interest.

"None of your business, Bando," Ryota snapped.

"You're not allowed to bring a cell phone on the bus."

"We weren't _using _a cell phone," he argued.

"Then what were you doing?"  
"If I were you, I wouldn't be so interested." He narrowed his eyes at the boy, who slumped back in this seat after receiving this angry look. Bando was a nosy lad who often snuck up on other students when they were engaged in rule breaking, then blackmailed them. He was among the kids who had seen the fight between Teran Turpis and Ryota, and he didn't like his spying & blackmailing job when it came to messing with a kid bigger than he was.

The bus rolled on until eventually it reached Takumi and Ryota's stop. By then it was much more quieter, and Blackmailing Bando had gotten off. The two friends walked out, then stepped onto the sidewalk, where about seven more students had gotten off in front of them.

"My mom's gonna be late tonight, so I'll just go to Naoki's house now," Takumi said.

"I'll go with you," Ryota assured. "My mom really doesn't care where I go, as long as I'm home for supper."

"My mom barely cooks supper," Takumi commented. "Usually we just get canned soup, or pizza, or something."  
"Ah, my mom always cooks. And she cooks really well, too."

The day was cool and quiet, the hint of a spring day. The trees were restocking their empty branches with green leaves. Flowers grew near the sidewalk. The birds sang and began to build their nests and feed their young.

Miho's house was not very far, although it was not really "in the neighborhood". It was located on a lonely and silent street, in front of a large area of woods.

When they neared the house, they found Naoki already there, with Miho on the front porch, as well as a little girl with short, brown hair, which Takumi guessed was Yuka Hamada, the girl that had been somewhat responsible for the arrest of Shun.

"Hi," they said as they approached the house. Yuka blushed furiously. 

"Hey, guys," Naoki greeted when they came up the steps.

"So, what's this tournament thing all about?" Ryota asked.

Miho smiled, sitting down in a chair on the porch. "We're just going to have a bit of fun. As long as we have the powers to become Digimon, I s'pose we'll just enjoy it." She pushed back her blonde hair.

"Yeah, well, how are we gonna do the tournament? There are five people here." Takumi looked around and counted. Ryota was right.

Suddenly, the little girl spoke up. She put her eyes on the ground as Takumi always did when he admitted something guilty. "If it hadn't been for me," she said sadly, "we would have six."

Naoki looked concerned. Takumi got a wild idea that they would make a good couple, since both seemed mature for their age. "Don't worry," the smallest boy said, "it's not your fault. It's the people who turned us into Digimon. It's their fault."

These words probably comforted Yuka, but if she felt any better, but she didn't show any signs of improving.

"Yeah," Takumi agreed. "Nobody blames you." He felt awkward saying this because he felt that it _was_ her fault. But he couldn't help feeling sorry for her.

The group started talking of the tournament again. "So _where, _exactly, are we going to have the tournament?" Ryota asked, in a tone of voice which suggested that he thought Miho hadn't done a very good planning job.

"Out back," she replied, and she gestured towards the woods, as though it was obvious.

"And, what, exactly, will we do, if someone sees us?"  
"_They won't_."

"You've seem to have thought this through."  
If Miho had caught any trace of sarcasm in Ryota's cold tone she would have answered differently, instead of proudly exclaiming: "I know!"

At that moment, the door of Miho's house opened a little. Takumi first thought it was Miho's mom, then thought it was just the wind. He found out what it was in a few seconds: a baby boy with a shock of red hair. He guessed that the baby was Miho's little brother, but there was such small resemblance between the two that Takumi almost dismissed this thought.

Miho looked down at the baby. "Stupid Kunikazu! Got out of your crib again, you stupid baby!"  
"I'll put him back," Yuka volunteered, but Miho was quick on her feet and picked up the baby.

"If you _ever _get out of your crib again - you'll get -" Miho threatened - "_this."_ With those words, she hit the baby across the forehead with her hand.

Takumi heard footsteps, then shouting. "Miho Sugiyama!" a woman's voice sounded. The one who had shouted stepped onto the porch, looking stern. The woman had flaming red hair, cold blue eyes, and an extremely large neck.

"What is it, _mom?"_ Miho asked in an "I'm innocent" kind of tone.

"Don't play stupid with me, Miho. I just saw you strike poor Kunikazu across the face. For heaven's sake, Miho, he's only a baby! To think . . ." She scooped up little Kunikazu and seemed to sing a lullaby to him.

"Mom, your stupid little baby was annoying my friends," Miho said in a voice that didn't seem to fit her.

This seemed to be the first time Miho's mother realized that she had guests to attend to. She turned to them and surveyed them with little interest.

"Are they going to be over here?" the woman asked with a voice that suggested she thought they might ruin the house.

"No," was the swift answer. "We're going out for a hike."

"Let me fix you a snack," she said, in a tone that said she was disturbed by having to feed her guests. She returned ten seconds later with a bag of peanut butter crackers. "Run along now," she said, handing them to Miho.

"Thank you, Mrs. Sugiyama," Takumi said politely.

The effect of these words were amazing. Miho's mother turned around, her cold blue eyes staring straight into Takumi's.

"I beg your pardon," she said, then looking at her daughter as though it were all her fault, "my name is Mrs. Marusa." She then stared into Takumi's eyes for a moment, then slammed the door in their faces.

Takumi was crestfallen. It was his best wishes to appear as polite to other people, especially adults. The ways of Mrs. Sugiyama (or "Marusa", as she called herself), made his self-confidence sink.

"Don't worry about her," Miho suggested. "She's an idiot, and so is her stupid baby. It's always Kunikazu this and Kunikazu that. She's a freak, so they make a good pair."

Takumi was surprised by Miho's words about her parent, but he was more interested in the fact that they had different last names. "Why did she call herself, 'Mrs. Marusa'?" he asked curiously. The second the words escaped his mouth he wished he hadn't spoken. It probably had something to do with divorce, and he didn't like to bring it up around others.

"That was my stepfather's last name," she replied. "He was a freak, too. I'm surprised that they broke up. He lived with us for a long time and helped produce that freak-freak over there that you just met, Kunikazu. Kunikazu is not my brother, he's my half-brother, see?"

Takumi did not display his curiosity over Miho's family anymore, but he did wonder upon it.

The group went into the woods, far away from any other humans.

"How are we going to do this tournament with five people anyway?" Ryota asked again.

"Easy," Miho replied, and she seemed very happy. "I won't fight."  
"That's real stupid," Ryota commented. "You make up a tournament that you don't even fight in."  
"I'll referee. And be the watch."  
"The _what_?"

"The watch. Just transform, then hand me your devices, and I'll keep an eye on everything."  
"Sorry," Ryota replied. "My device is personal. No one touches it but me."  
"_What!? _But what if someone sees you?"  
"Then you can just tell us. We'll stop fighting and then we'll transform back to human."

"But -"  
"Listen, we'll take the risks. You were the one who wanted to do this stupid tournament in the first place, weren't you?"  
"Yeah, but -"

All the others agreed with Ryota's motives and kept their devices with them, although Miho insisted that they needed to hand them over to her.

"What if - what if Naoki transforms to Sorcerimon, and - and does that summoning thing?" she asked, trying to make them surrender the devices.

"We'll just disqualify that attack, then."  
"But he might take your device and transform you back to a human, then kill you!"  
Everyone laughed at this wild statement, even Naoki, who was anything but vicious.

"Really -" Miho said - "I don't want him to cheat!"  
"I already told you," Ryota said through gritted teeth, "We'll disqualify that attack."  
"Fine!" Miho exclaimed.

Soon the rules for the tournament were laid down: If a Digimon was down for more than ten seconds, the other would win the battle. This was to make sure no contestant was in any danger of death. A contestant could not use a weapon in battle (unless it came with the Digimon, for example, Sorcerimon's staff). And, last but not least, no Digimon could go out of the playing field, which was a large clearing in the woods.

"I hope we don't get caught," Takumi said, which was the idea which was in everyone's mind.

"I wonder what Digimon I can turn into!" Yuka wondered happily, for, Takumi noticed, she probably had never transformed.

Miho withdrew a large basket with numbers inside. Each contestant would select a number. This is the spot they would be in the tournament.

"Takumi, you go first," Miho said in a depressed tone.

Takumi selected a number from the basket. This random selection may determine his place in the tournament. He picked it up, turned it over and said aloud:  
"Three."  
Miho wrote a large number three on the tournament sheet.

Ryota went next. He looked crestfallen at the number, for inside he really wanted to battle Takumi. He showed his number to the group: two.

Next came Naoki. This was who Takumi would be battling. He withdrew a number four. He showed it happily to the rest of the group. It was a number four. Takumi smiled at his opponent.

It was obvious who was going to be battling Ryota. This interested him, for he wondered who Yuka could transform into. Yuka drew the remaining number, one, as well as a pen that Miho had been using to draw the numbers.

"Start the match!" Naoki cheered.

The first two competitors entered the small ring. Ryota and Yuka both bowed before they transformed into their respective Digimon forms. Ryota transformed into Kibamon - an elegant snow leopard Digimon. His fur was soft and looked like snow. Yuka transformed next - into a tiny cat Digimon with brown fur and a very long tail - Mikemon.

Naoki smiled as Yuka transformed.

Takumi wondered who would win. Both were cat Digimon, but Kibamon was much, much bigger - and looked faster too. However, Mikemon's little body could come in handy when dodging attacks. Still, Takumi had his money on Kibamon.

"Ready -" Miho shouted (the two opposing Digimon narrowed their eyes at each other) - "get set -" (then they barred their paws) - "BATTLE!"  
Where there was once silence and stillness now held a vicious tournament. Kibamon and Mikemon charged at each other, their cat paws out. The snow leopard Digimon swung a mighty fist at the small kitten Digimon, but Mikemon jumped in the air just in time and Kibamon missed. He landed on the opposite side of the field, Mikemon landed in the middle and narrowed her eyes and smiled.

Kibamon, supported by his anger, charged again at Mikemon. The kitten Digimon tried to jump back, but -

It was too late.

Kibamon's claws hit Mikemon a hard blow in the chest, sending her high in the air. This gave Kibamon a huge advantage. In perfect alignment -

"Arctic Arrow!"

The attack hit Mikemon higher in the air. She then landed on the ground, weak and tired.

"And she's down!" Miho cried.

Naoki looked eager. "Come on, Yuka!" he cheered on. "You can get up!"  
These words seemed to have helped the kitten Digimon recover, and just when Miho counted eight, Mikemon stood up, somewhat weakened, but ready to fight nonetheless.

"All right!" Naoki cheered on.

There was a look of competition on Mikemon's kitten-like face. Kibamon narrowed his eyes, a threat of danger in them. He didn't seem to like the fact that Mikemon had gotten up at the last second.

"Arctic Arrow!" he shouted again, but Mikemon jumped. Takumi was stunned - she remained in the air for a very long it was as though she was flying. And when she seemed to approach the ground -

"Cat Claw!" she shouted. Her claws glowed and it hit Kibamon on the nose, who backed down, hurt. He did not, however, go down. He remained up to take Mikemon's claws, which attacked his nose again. He stayed for one more claw, then -

Went down.

"He's down!" was the shout from the announcer Miho. Only when Miho had called the number three, Kibamon rose again. But Mikemon was ready. She held her claws high in the air. They glowed, then -

"Arctic Arrow!" Taking advantage of Mikemon's close range fighting, Kibamon launched the attack of the kitten's paws. Mikemon cried a squeak of pain, then fell to the ground once again. This time, she did not get up. The battle was over. Kibamon had won. Naoki went to check if Mikemon was okay. She rose when she heard the cheering of Ryota. She then transformed back to Yuka and took her seat on the ground, where Takumi and Naoki were waiting.

"You did good, Yuka!" Naoki congratulated.

"Thanks," was the reply from the little girl. "Good luck."

Naoki nodded, then went into the ring with Takumi.

"Hey, Takumi!"  
He turned around. It was Ryota. "I hope you win!" he shouted.

"Then I can beat you in the final round!" he added in good natured-rivalry.

"You wish," Takumi returned in the same tone.

Miho was in her element. "And the next battle - Hiamon . . . versus . . . Sorcerimon!"

The two transformed, Takumi going from a human to a dragon and Naoki going to a sorcerer.

"And -" Miho shouted, "let the battle - BEGIN!"  
"I won't let you win," Takumi thought he heard Naoki mutter. "Make your move!"  
Hiamon, the dragon Digimon, did so. He flew high into the air, the ring below him getting smaller and smaller. He could see Miho's house, as well as some other houses from here. Then - he stretched his claws. They gleamed in the sunlight, which forewarned Sorcerimon. Next -

"Triple Dragon Talon!"

The dragon came down, claws first. But the sorcerer Digimon was not unprepared. "Crystal Cloud!" he shouted, and from his staff came ice. Hiamon's claws easily broke through them. He sent himself towards Sorcerimon, who launched his next attack -

"Drowning Aquarius!"  
Hiamon had been caught off guard. From Sorcerimon's wand came gallons of water, high into the air, where he was. Naturally, water was the dragon's weakness. His attack had been evaded. Instead of crushing his opponent like he had planned, he plummeted towards the ground, drops of water on his arms.

It did not take very long for him to rise again. Hiamon easily towered over Sorcerimon, who stood, transfixed, at the dragon's size. Hiamon narrowed his eyes, to appear even more intimidating. Then, he flew into the air, his enormous shadow still on Naoki.

"Flame Rain!" he shouted, and balls of fire came from the holes in his wings.

"Drowning Aquarius!" Sorcerimon countered, and in a few seconds, the flames were expelled.

Hiamon narrowed his eyes some more. He had to . . . had to defeat Naoki . . . He landed on the ground, on two feet. Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him . . .

"Ice Illusion!"  
He zipped around. There he was . . . Sorcerimon . . . it was as though he were standing there, just waiting to be defeated . . .

"Triple Dragon Talon!" Hiamon rose into the air once more, then dived, his claws first. Where Sorcerimon should have been, he struck earth.

"Huh?" 

Sorcerimon was not there. What had happened? Then, at the last second, it dawned on him: That Sorcerimon had been an illusion. But it was too late to fix his mistake. Behind him was the real Sorcerimon, and he shouted:  
"Drowning Aquarius!"  
The water from the sorcerer's wand thoroughly drenched him. He felt his body temperature fall greatly, then -

_CLANK._

The ground trembled as the great dragon Digimon fell.

"And he's down!" he heard Miho's voice shout, but it was distant . . . then he heard her count ten - the battle came to an end. Sorcerimon had won.

Hiamon stretched and got up, then transformed back to Takumi.

"Some battle," he said, and although he was slightly bitter over his abrupt defeat and his foolish mistake, he patted Naoki on the back. Yuka was cheering, Ryota was laughing good naturedly.

"Guess it's me and him," he said. "Man, that was funny . . . you should have seen yourself. Sorcerimon did this illusion, and you thought the illusion was the real him . . . ha!"

Takumi laughed too, and he realized what the tournament was all about: Having fun.

Naoki and Ryota shook hands, then entered the ring. They transformed into Sorcerimon and Kibamon.

"Go Naoki!" Yuka cheered. Takumi didn't go for one over the other. He wished both of them luck.

"And now - time to BATTLE!" Miho called. Even before she had shouted the last word, Kibamon plunged at Sorcerimon, who was taken by surprise. Sorcerimon toppled to the ground.

"Whoa! He's down!" Miho shouted. She counted to four, then Sorcerimon got up, ready to do his magic.

"Ice Illusion!" he shouted. Takumi secretly wanted to see Kibamon be fooled as he had; but unfortunately, Ryota had not been so ignorant. He charged at the real Sorcerimon, who had been unprepared yet again, because he had relied on the hope that the snow leopard Digimon would be fooled by the illusion.

Nonetheless, he was able to attack before Kibamon touched him.

"Crystal Cloud!" But unlike Hiamon, the snow leopard Digimon was not weakened by fire. His claws easily destroyed the ice, then hit Sorcerimon in the chest. The blow was hard, and it seemed as though Sorcerimon would go down and remain down for the rest of the battle, but he did not lose his balance. The attack on him made him angrier.

"Drowning Aquarius!"  
The water rushed from his staff, drenching Kibamon, who was off guard. Next, Sorcerimon performed a Crystal Cloud technique. The ice came from his staff once again. This time, Kibamon had no claws to protect him. The ice sprinkled onto his body. Kibamon didn't move. He was frozen. Eventually, he was able to get out of it by lucky means. But then the process repeated itself. Kibamon was able to break out of this one. Then he though of an idea. He held his claws high in the air. The Crystal Cloud came again. But the claws broke it before they hit him. Sorcerimon was caught off guard once again. Kibamon sprang at the sorcerer - or rather, his staff. The object flew out of Sorcerimon's hands and hit the ground. Kibamon's opponent was now weaponless.

Sorcerimon was shocked. He stood, amazed, at Kibamon's move. Then -

"Arctic Arrow!" the snow leopard Digimon shouted. Without his weapon, Sorcerimon could not evade this attack. It hit him in the chest, then sent him flying.

The children not battling were astonished at this amazing turn of events. Miho counted to ten. Sorcerimon did not stand up again. The battle - and the tournament - was over. Kibamon had won.

Sorcerimon was able to get up after the battle was over, then changed back to Naoki Reda. The victor of the tournament transformed back to Ryota, who looked very smug indeed. Naoki was not bitter at his loss of the final battle. He took it well and congratulated Ryota on a good battle. Takumi congratulated Ryota and Yuka congratulated Naoki, then the four talked of their battles.

"I can't believe I can transform into Mikemon."

"Wow, Ryota - guess you're the strongest."  
"I'm nothing without my weapon."  
"Of course you are!"  
"That was a good fight."  
The only one that did not share in their conversation was Miho Sugiyama, who leaned on a tree nearby.

"Great tournament," they all told her as they left, and they all agreed that it was a splendid idea.

"Wonder what was bugging Miho at the end of the tournament," Takumi wondered as he walked with Ryota down the sidewalk to their homes.

"Who cares?" was the answer from Ryota, who didn't seem interested. "Maybe she's mad that I won. Or maybe she's mad that she didn't participate. She didn't realize how fun it would be."  
"Yeah," came from Takumi, who dismissed the subject from his mind afterwards. "We should hold another tournament soon, one that everyone will participate in."  
"Not much of a chance of that happening unless there's a new kid coming along, or else Shun's name is cleared." 

Takumi gazed at the sunset. He had been thinking the same thing.

"Don't worry," he assured. "We'll find those people that turned us into Digimon - and clear Shun's name!"

Ryota nodded. They continued down the sidewalk, the sunset a brilliant purple and orange.

_Next time on Digimon Genesis!  
It may be the hardest moment in Takumi's life. But it has to happen someday . . . and next chapter, you will find out! Takumi may take the biggest risk ever that will take all of his wits to the next level! WILL HE ASK REINA YOSHIDA OUT? Find out on the next Digimon Genesis:  
  
THE BIRTH OF A LOVE LIFE_


	13. The Birth of a Love Life

__

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon. But Reina Yoshida is *my character*! Well, I mean, you know, I own her . . . and stuff . . . um . . . yeah . . .  
  
Previously on Digimon Genesis! Miho held a little tournament, which concluded in the victory of Ryota! Takumi was a trifle sad because he was bothered by the fact that Shun was in juvenile hall while they were enjoying the tournament. Ryota agreed to help Takumi find the "dream gang" who plotted their transformations!  
  
**DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER XIII  
THE BIRTH OF A LOVE LIFE**  
  
"Wow, Takumi." The girl named Reina Yoshida put her arms on Takumi's shoulders. "You never told me that you were - that you were so cool."  
  
Takumi put his arms on Reina's shoulders. "I've been wanting to say something to you, Reina. For the longest time."  
  
"What?" she said, quietly.  
  
_"I love you."_  
  
_"I love you too, Takumi."_  
  
Both stood still for a moment, then kissed. A warm, long kiss that made Takumi feel as though he were the luckiest guy in the world. Suddenly -  
  
A strange beeping noise filled the room they occupied.  
  
"What's that?" Takumi asked.  
  
Reina shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "Don't know," she said. Takumi was a bit nervous. "But don't worry," she added. "Nothing will ever come between us."  
  
Takumi smiled in the darkness. "Yeah."  
They hugged. Takumi felt good, her warm body so close to his. He closed his eyes, then kissed her again. He opened them again.  
  
He felt his pillow, warm and soft. He looked at his alarm clock, which was beeping frantically. Six fifty-nine. Only a dream. But how he wished it was real . . . he closed his eyes again. Maybe, _maybe_, the dream would come back. But it didn't, and it took him a long time to finally get out of bed.  
  
He took a shower, put on some clothes, then scampered downstairs, where his mother was unfolding her newspaper. Takumi was surprised to see that the television in the kitchen was not running.  
  
"Like I said, I'm not going to watch that dumb news group anymore. Jumi Jimbo acted like an idiot again, and that Abukara guy took so long in doing the sports! And then that other guy . . . what's him name again? Anyways, garbage about dragons again . . ."  
Takumi let out an exclamation of astonishment. How could he have been so stupid? He had flew into the air at the tournament yesterday . . . _of course_ someone would have spotted him.  
  
"Then," Mrs. Hito continued, putting emphasis on it to prove her point, "they said that the army will shoot down any unidentified things in the sky. They're also saying that the dragon murdered that boy . . . _pure nonsense._"  
  
Unfortunately, the army had hit the nail on the head. Takumi, as the dragon, had killed a boy. It hadn't been his fault, of course . . . he didn't know how to control himself. He wondered what they would do to him if the public all found out what he had done . . .  
  
"So," Mrs. Hito said changing the subject while spilling coffee on her newspaper, "how are your conferences going with - with Mr. Shale?"  
Takumi stole a slice of bread from a bag. "What?" he asked, with the bread in his mouth.  
  
"Are your conferences going well with Mr. Shale?"  
  
"Very well," he replied. Then he remembered . . . what Mr. Shale had told him yesterday . . . about being friends with Mr. Hito . . .  
  
He then added swiftly:  
"He told me he used to be a friend of dad's."  
  
Mrs. Hito nodded. "After work, I drove to your school and met him. He's a very nice man, Mr. Shale." She looked up at the sky. "He said that you were progressing very nicely, Takumi. I'm glad to hear that." She looked down at her son. She was smiling, and looked as though she was ready to say something. She then whispered:  
  
"Takumi, if there's anyone I think who can get us closer, it's him. I want to be your mother, Takumi. I want you to be my son." She continued to smile.  
_"I am, mom,"_ her son replied.  
"You tell him anything. Anything you want, Takumi. Whatever it takes to get us closer. We're a family." She said this in her normal voice.  
  
Takumi felt tears in his eyes, and a burning sensation in his throat. He tried, best he could, to say something in return: _"I will, mom."_  
They stood, silent, for a brief moment, until Mrs. Hito broke the silence.  
_"Brr!"_ she exclaimed. "It's cold in here." She tried her best to warm herself. She then looked around the room. Takumi could tell that she was looking for something.  
"That's funny," he heard her mutter, "I don't remember leaving a window open . . ." She went into the dining room, where a window stood, wide open, creating a gap big enough to permit a fully grown man inside. After she shut the window, Mrs. Hito returned to the table in which she had been sitting in. She returned to her newspaper.  
  
Takumi stared, trying to swallow the bread piece in his throat. The silence was taunting. A few minutes ago, mother and son had been tearfully talking over how they needed to be closer. Now, the only sounds were Mrs. Hito's turning of the pages of her paper. Takumi felt as though he needed to continue the conversation with his mom.  
  
"Mr. Shale said -" he began, waiting for his mother to look up, which she did a few seconds later, "that -"   
  
_No,_ he thought. _This wasn't the right way to approach._ He started over with a question. "Did you ever know Mr. Shale, like, before you met him at my school yesterday?"  
  
At this, his mother looked thoughtful. "You know," she replied, spilling coffee on the floor, "I might have - because I remember yesterday when I met him, I kept thinking, _hmm, this guy looks familiar_ . . . I don't know."  
  
Takumi was delighted. The conversation was going well. "Mr. Shale says that I might find him in some old photographs with dad."  
Mrs. Hito jumped as a drop of hot coffee landed on her shirt. "Yes, maybe," she said, after calming down a bit. Suddenly, her eyes zipped to the clock on the wall.  
  
"Wow, look at the time," she said, changing the subject. "I simply must be off to work. I suggest you head to school now, Takumi - you're not playing hooky while I'm not home in the mornings, are you?" She smiled, but it was not the same emotional smile, it was one which indicated she was smiling at her own joke.  
  
She put her purse around her shoulder and attempted to clean up the coffee on her shirt with a rag, but it was no use. Scowling, she headed to work, leaving Takumi home alone.  
  
He felt quite awkward. He gazed at the empty chair which his mother had sat in, at the newspaper which had been read. Interested in the paper, he walked over to the table, which had some coffee stains. An article on page 7B caught his interest:  
  
The Dragon Danger  
by H.K. Sakamoto  
  
In some stories, dragons are merciless, fire-breathing monsters. Could this opinion of dragons be true? It's more important than ever today. Beginning on April fifteenth of this week, numerous people in Yokohama have claimed to have seen these majestic beasts flying in the sky.  
Ryu Jukodo, age thirty-seven, remarks: "My eyesight is as good as any, and I know my dragons when I see one. I was at my home on Saturday, when suddenly I see this huge, flying beast."  
Other residents of the area agree with Jukodo. But is this a real dragon, or is it a trick of the eyes?  
"Is not!" argued a sixty-five year old man when asked this question.  
The army is not taking any chances. "It is our right to protect our citizens, and we will do so by shooting down any flying creature that's now supposed to be up there in the sky," one exclaimed to us.  
Many argue that the army is being reckless. "Our motives are good," a general says. "We want all of our fellow people to know that nothing's going to attack them."  
Speaking of attacking, could the dragons be the ones who killed those two people? Claw marks were found on the body of the boy named Hiroshi Watanabe, and they certainly weren't human. A later study reveals that the claw prints are from an unidentified creature. The possibility that the dragons are doing the murders is becoming a much more plausible theory. Further proof is the body of Lawrence Felters - where burns and frostbites were found on different sides of him. But where did the frostbites come from? Perhaps we don't know as much about dragons as we think. Only further investigation will give us the answer.  
  
The article ended. After he read it, Takumi had mixed feelings. If they only knew the truth . . .  
He looked away from the paper and caught the time. 7:21. If he wanted to get to school, he had better get there fast. He put his book bag on his shoulders (which was considerably light, due to the fact that no homework had been given the previous day), and headed off to his bus stop.  
Ryota and some other kids were waiting there. Many were speaking over the fight that had resulted in Teran Turpis' downfall which had taken place the previous day.  
"Heard Turpis isn't going to school today," one of the smaller boys said, who had been bullied constantly by the big kid. Some others sniggered.  
  
Takumi wished he could join in the chatter, but something had been bugging him last night that he wanted to tell Ryota, who was sitting alone on the sidewalk, his dark green backpack camouflaged in the grass.  
  
"What's up?" he asked as Takumi neared.  
  
"Nothing," he shrugged, which was a rather stupid thing to say, because the reason he had gone up to him was to talk. "Listen," he said, contrary to his previous answer, "something's been bugging me. It's about Shun." He spoke in a quiet tone to make sure the other kids wouldn't here them. They probably wouldn't, as they were engrossed in the fight discussion, but it was best to not take any risks.  
  
Ryota looked up. "Yeah? What about him?" His point of view about Shun had always been a good one, but because he was influenced by other students of his age, he had pretended he hated him. The fight scene had cleared up his bad point of view and released the good.  
  
Takumi breathed hard. "I mean - when we're here, going off to school like everything's normal - Shun is in juvenile hall."  
Ryota listened intently, but a bird that was trying to cross the street had caught his interest. "Yeah. We should go visit him someday."  
  
Takumi stepped in front of Ryota's eyes, so he couldn't see the bird. "No," he explained, "I mean - isn't there some way we can release him, or something?"  
Ryota shrugged. "Not much of a chance. If we tried, they might suspect us for something, as we're his friends." He closed his eyes. "But I s'pose anything's possible."  
  
"Well -" Takumi said. This wasn't what he wanted the conversation to lead to. "Should we - tell someone about us being a Digimon, and all?"  
At this, Ryota studied Takumi hard. "Are you crazy?" he said, staring in disbelief. "If we tell, we'll probably go to jail for accidentally killing that stupid boy and that crazy old mechanic."  
  
"No - I mean -" Takumi breathed. He didn't want to be taken as an idiot for suggesting this. "Why don't we tell - like - a counselor - or something?" He had in mind to tell Mr. Shale. Anything to get Shun released . . .  
  
Ryota was not enthusiastic about this plan. "_ Why_? We might as well tell the government about our powers. If a counselor or someone finds out, they're going to tell somebody important, then they'll arrest us."  
  
"Yeah, but -" Takumi thought for a moment. "Mr. Shale - he said that nothing I say will be released to the public - unless it's -"  
  
"`Something like, bringing a gun to school`" Ryota quoted. "Do use your common sense. If bringing a gun to school is serious, then being a Digimon with powers that can kill hundreds of people in a minute is extremely serious."  
  
At this moment, the mustard-yellow bus appeared from around the corner. Ryota stood up and picked up his book bag from the dew-covered grass.  
"Here," he said, his book bag on his shoulders. "We'll talk about this on the bus." The rest of the kids piled into the bus, gossiping loudly, Takumi and Ryota strolling behind. After climbing the bus steps and finding their seat at the back in order to prevent suspicion (especially from Blackmailing Bando), they began to talk over the plan Takumi had.  
  
"Takumi," Ryota explained. "What we need to do is find the people who turned us into Digimon. Then we turn them in, then they'll explain, then, everyone will realize that our actions were good, and then Shun will be released."  
  
"That's an awful lot of steps," Takumi pointed out. "I mean - and even if we are cleared, people will fear us because we're Digimon. And we'll never lead normal lives."  
"That's because we're not normal, Takumi," Ryota snapped. "And we never will be, regardless of the fact if we're cleared or not."  
  
Takumi looked up at the bus ceiling. There was really nothing to do but Ryota's plan. In that case, he would have to carry it out. "So," Takumi said, feeling better, as though he were closer to clearing Shun, "we've got to find those people who turned us into Digimon. There are only a few things that we know."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Their names."  
  
"Which ones do you know?"  
  
"Hmm . . ." Takumi thought, and, he made a resolution to put these names on paper. "Search . . ." he began.  
"Someone named Stone," Ryota remembered. Takumi wrote the two names down.  
"Then there's . . ." Takumi tried to remember. "Some guy named Wiz. No . . . no, it's, um . . ."  
"Quiz," Ryota finished.  
"Yeah, that's right," Takumi said, scribbling the name down as fast a he could, messing up on the 'Q' a little bit.  
  
"Is that all?" Ryota asked, unsatisfied. "Only three people?"  
  
Takumi stared over the names. It didn't seem right. "There's a fourth person," he exclaimed. "But we don't know his name yet."  
  
"We could talk to Naoki, Miho, and Yuka," Ryota suggest.  
  
"Right," his companion agreed, "and we can visit Shun."  
Takumi agreed with this. He had been afraid to face Shun in juvenile hall, and felt uncomfortable not seeing him. Yes, he would feel much better after seeing Shun. Maybe juvenile hall wasn't as bad as he thought it was . . .  
  
The bus soon arrived at the small middle school, Takumi and Ryota being the last to get out as they were in the very back. They continued their conversation over their mission and agreed to meet Naoki, Miho, and Yuka this afternoon. As they were walking down the hallway, they hushed their conversation to not be noticed by Mr. Mes, who was lurking in a hallway, with an old mop in his hand. Upon seeing Takumi, he exclaimed:  
  
"You'd better not leave any mud here for you to clean up, boy!"  
"I won't," he assured. Then, whispering to Ryota, he said: "I hate Mr. Mes."  
"Me too," his friend replied. He then began imitating the janitor, so loudly that Takumi was afraid he would hear them:  
"_ My name's Mr. Mes, and I hang around all day with my mop! I make other students do my work, then I get paid! Uh-oh! There's mud in the hallway! Better make that Hito boy do it . . . yep . . ._" Ryota then walked around, still imitating the janitor, as though he were a slow-witted boy. "Duh . . ." he said, his mouth wide open.  
  
They arrived at Miss Andrews' classroom, and they separated, Ryota being under another teacher, Mr. Katsumata.  
Takumi found Mr. Akimoto speaking with Miss Andrews, who appeared to be under a lot of stress.  
"Well -" Miss Andrews began. "I called you over here to - ask you a question."  
  
"What is that?"  
  
"Will you - will you - will you go to the dance with me? The teachers are going too, and I think it'd be a real - real pleasure, is all, and um -"  
  
"Sure, Miss Andrews. I'll see you there."  
  
Suddenly, Takumi's teacher's stress seemed to disappear. "Great!" she exclaimed, a wide smile on her face. "I - it's an honor."  
  
"Thanks, Miss Andrews."  
  
"Just call me Keiko!" she added as the gym teacher left the room. Takumi believed that no face could match her delight.  
  
"Oh, Takumi!" she exclaimed as she noticed him in the room. "Come in - come in - come in -" He then remembered that he was now being babied around at school by the teachers because everyone thought him to be a clone of Shun, who would eventually grow up to rob houses.  
  
Takumi didn't reply. He sat down where he normally sat, next to Masami, who was hiding a piece of paper in his desk.  
"What are you writing?" Takumi asked. Finally noticing Takumi, he put the paper in his desk farther.  
"Nothing," he replied, a nervous look on his spectacled face, "Just . . . writing a letter."  
Takumi did not continue to find out more about the paper in Masami's desk. He didn't want to be nosy.  
  
"Actually -" Masami reconsidered - "I was just . . . writing a note to Yuuko, that's all."  
"Are you blackmailing her?" Takumi teased.  
Masami's nervous look increased. "N-no!" he stuttered at the very idea. "Not - not at all!"  
And then, feeling as though he must justify his note, he added:  
"Just - just asking her out to the dance, that's all."  
Takumi tried to hide a snicker. Masami's chances of taking a partner to any dance was slim. But his mind went to Reina . . .  
  
"What dance?" Takumi asked.  
  
Masami looked smug, happy that he knew something Takumi didn't. "Well -" he said. "If I must tell you - well - just - you didn't hear it from me - alright -"  
  
"Alright, alright, alright," Takumi droned impatiently.  
  
"Well," Masami whispered, as though he was about to tell him a most interesting secret, "My friend - well - you know Ian Haruguchi? Well, he caught Mrs. Falle asking Mrs. Questus if she could type something about a dance . . . and he stole a copy . . . and he told me that there was a dance that was on the first of May."  
  
"That's all?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"So you're asking Yuuko out?"  
  
"Well - yeah - but -"  
  
"Does she know about the dance?"  
  
"Not - yet -"  
  
"How are you going to explain how you found out about it?"  
  
"Well - I -"  
  
"Yuuko won't like rule breaking."  
  
"Well, it's not really rule breaking - I didn't break the rules - Ian just stole -"  
  
"Say no more. I'll return to my own business."  
  
If the dance was real, Miss Andrews would share it to the class that morning. He didn't need to trouble Masami anymore.  
  
He got out a sheet of paper from his binder and began furiously scribbling on any clues as to who turned him into a Digimon could be. As Takumi was writing down, "One woman, three men," the door opened loudly. He looked up. It was Teran Turpis and his chums, Chubby and Bones, visiting from Mr. Katsumata's class. Apparently they had not forgotten the fight.  
  
Turpis balled his hands into fists and walked slowly to Takumi's desk, intimidating and large.  
"So," he said in a loud, booming voice, which scared Masami silly, "having a good time, are you?" He leaned on Takumi's desk, almost making it and it's contents fall over.  
Takumi didn't reply. He was too focused on the paper to deal with bullies like Turpis. This angered Turpis, whose key to success was having people pay attention to him. He hated it when people ignored what he said.  
"So," he repeated, "I asked you - are you having a good time?"  
Again, he didn't reply. He loved this game, ignoring Turpis, who had his fist held high. The bully noticed Takumi's paper.  
  
"So -" he said. "what's this?" He seized the paper with the clues of the people in Takumi's dreams.  
"Give that back!" he cried frantically. Turpis held the paper high above his head. Takumi made a wild grab for it, but the bully was much bigger than he was, and his attempts were futile.  
  
"I don't think I will," the bully replied, and he signaled for Chubby and Bones to help him read the paper he was holding.  
"'Search'," he read loudly (Takumi made another wild reach for it), "'Stone'," he continued, as his friends sniggered, "'Quiz' - and 'dreams' and 'April tenth . . . April eleventh . . .'". He suddenly became less interested. "What the hell is this?" he demanded.  
  
"None of your business!" Takumi cried. "Give that back!"  
"I don't think I will," the bully returned, amazed by his own wit. "Now . . . I'll give it back only if you answer my question . . . what is it? Come on!"  
"Nothing important!" Takumi stammered, hoping that Turpis would become uninterested and give the paper back to him. His plan backfired.  
  
"Hmm . . ." the bully hummed, in his annoying tone, "I guess if it's not important . . . I'll just tear it up -" He put his hands on the circumference of the paper, making a threatening motion - then -  
  
"Turpis!"  
  
The bully zipped around. Miss Andrews was standing there. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded.  
  
"Um -" he tried to come up with an excuse. Chubby and Bones fled. "I was just - um - looking at Hito's paper . . ."  
It was obvious that the bully's intentions had not been good.  
"Give that paper back to Takumi this instant!" she stammered. Turpis let go of the paper, letting it float back onto Takumi's desk. "And Mr. Katsumata will be most interested to see where you are! You're supposed to be having detention with him today for flushing those shorts down the toilet! Come on!" And, dragging Turpis by his ear, they marched out of the classroom.  
  
Takumi was relieved to have his paper back. He was also glad that Turpis hadn't gotten to it after he had wrote the real important stuff. He decided that the paper was not to be completed during school and wisely put it back in his binder.  
  
Eight fifteen came around the corner and he figured that he had better be off to go to the guidance office. But Miss Andrews asked him if he would stay for the announcements. Takumi figured that they wanted to share some information on the upcoming dance. He was proven to be right after Mrs. Falle spoke the announcements, including the food for Tuesday, which several kids in his class groaned aloud.  
  
"And for lunch today," Chiaki announced, imitating Mrs. Falle, "is pee salad! Step right up! Get your pee salad!"  
"DON'T TALK DURING THE ANNOUNCEMENTS, CHIAKI, OR NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO HEAR THEM! SIT DOWN AND STOP TALKING! ALL OF YOU!" their teacher shouted.  
Now, nobody could hear the announcements, not that they cared. But the most important announcement was yet to be made. Miss Andrews had the pleasure of presenting it to the class.  
  
"On May first, at 7:00 we will be holding a dance to -"  
"Seven 'o clock in the _morning_?" Chiaki asked, by means of starting chaos within the classroom.  
  
Miss Andrews scowled. "Obviously, it'll be held in the evening. Now, here I have -"  
  
Chiaki raised his hand.  
"Yes?"  
"What time?"  
The teacher then lost her temper. "Chiaki, you know very well what time it will be held at!"  
"AM or PM?"  
"PM, Chiaki, PM! Now not another word out of you. As I was saying -"  
Chiaki raised his hand again.  
Smiling at herself, Miss Andrews ignored it. "As I was saying, there will be rules to attend to as well."  
  
She glared at Chiaki, who was jumping in his seat with his hand raised.  
  
"There will be food and drink served at the dance, which will be held in the gym. Now I want to remind you all that your parent or guardian is to pick you up by ten 'o clock, or else we will have to ban you from the next dance. More information will be given out via notes that we will send home with you soon. That is all. Any questions?"  
She noticed Chiaki, who was standing in his seat.  
  
"Yes, Chiaki?"  
  
"There's someone knocking on your door," he replied innocently.  
  
"Oh!" Miss Andrews exclaimed, and hastened towards the door and opened it. It was Mr. Akimoto.  
"Hello, Satoshi," said their teacher delightfully. "Sorry, I would've been here sooner, I was just quieting down my class - not that they were loud, that is, but you know how they -"  
"I understand, Miss Andrews," Mr. Akimoto ended her exclamation abruptly. He held green sheets of paper in his hand.  
  
"Just call me Keiko," she corrected.  
  
"Right, Miss Andrews. Now, I have here these forms -" He indicated the green sheets of paper.  
"Oh yes, yes! Thank you so much, Satoshi -"  
She tried to thank Mr. Akimoto longer, and discuss the dance some more, but unfortunately for her, the bell rang for the next class.  
  
"Oh!" she exclaimed as the gym teacher walked away. She quickly alerted a boy named Adamu to help her pass out the papers, while the students got ready for Language Arts class. As Takumi made his getaway to the guidance office, Miss Andrews handed him one of the sheets of paper. It was a dance information form, full of all sorts of rules about the dance.  
  
He had his nose on the paper as he walked by Mr. Mes in the hallway, who was busily cleaning up a very rude message written in spray paint. The janitor grumbled as he saw the boy, then continued to clean the mess up with a very dirty rag.  
  
Takumi hadn't noticed that he had walked into Mr. Shale's room with his nose in the paper. It was only when the counselor greeted him that he looked up.  
"Hello, Takumi," he said pleasantly. "Good to see you again." He motioned for Takumi to sit down across from him. Mr. Shale cleared off some papers which contained some very uninteresting and problematic formulas.  
  
"I met your mom yesterday," he explained with a smile. "You're very lucky . . . but I understand she works a lot?"  
  
"Yeah, a ton. She comes home at about eight 'o clock every night."  
  
"Really? And you tell me she works at a bank?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
The conversation continued: Mr. Shale explained how much Mrs. Hito cared for Takumi. He also stated that she probably wanted to spend more time with him. Takumi spoke of the conversation with his mother he had earlier this morning. Mr. Shale concluded that the best way for them to spend more time together was to understand each other. He asked Takumi a bundle of questions (some that he thought weren't necessary to help get mother and son closer).  
  
It was soon five minutes to the bell. "Well," Mr. Shale concluded, "you had better be going." Takumi was sad that it was time to go. He felt like he got to know himself and his mother better when he was in the counselor's small office. He quickened towards the door, and opened it slightly. Before he could get out, Mr. Shale stood up.  
  
"Takumi," he added. "I - I saw your fight yesterday."  
Takumi's mind raced. Had he really seen him fighting with Teran Turpis yesterday? Had Mr. Shale seen Turpis and his friends be beaten up? It had never occurred to him that a teacher had been watching . . . would they suspend him from school because of this? Would he be given detention, or banned from the dance? He felt guilty. He didn't want to show that he wasn't respectful of school rules in front of an adult, and friend, like Mr. Shale.  
  
"Y-yes," he admitted. "I'm - really sorry -"  
  
"Please," he said. "Don't do that again. I'm not going to report you. But others won't go so easy on you. I must warn you, Takumi. Never fight unless you really need to." He stared at Takumi long and hard. He nodded back, then left the room, feeling guilty.  
  
Somehow, he felt that being caught by Mr. Shale was the worst thing that could be possible. It's unexplainable how you feel when you are discovered doing something bad by someone you respect. But Takumi really had no choice. It was to either attack in self-defense . . . or be clobbered by Turpis and his gang.  
  
He was so deep in his thoughts that as he walked down the hallway, he almost bumped into a girl his age.  
"Sorry," he apologized, and would have kept on walking had it been a normal girl . . . but it wasn't. It was Reina Yoshida. Takumi caught another glimpse of her as she disappeared behind the corridor.  
  
Suddenly, an idea came to him. The dance . . . if Reina Yoshida went to the dance with him . . . if she said yes . . .  
Without thinking much more, he darted off behind Reina, even though his instructions were to go to Mr. Shale's office, then back to Miss Andrews' loud classroom. But between rules and girls, he'd take girls.  
  
"Um . . . hi," he said to her, without thinking. She turned around, and her beautiful green eyes looked back at him. She giggled slightly, a hall pass under her arm.  
  
"I was wondering . . . if . . . um . . ."  
  
Her pretty eyes looked into his, as though she were trying to decipher his thoughts.  
  
"I was wondering . . . if you could um . . ."  
  
"What were you wondering?" she asked, and he realized that this was the first time he had ever heard her voice. It matched perfectly, beautiful with beautiful . . . his mind suddenly drifted to his dream . . . had he dreamed Reina with a different voice? He tried to think back to it, while responding to Reina.  
  
"I was wondering . . . well, what I'm trying to say is . . . dya one go w'dance 'w me?"  
Reina's eyes widened. She seemed not to understand for a second, then was able to translate Takumi's gibberish into real, English words.  
  
"Well . . . I . . ." she said, looking somewhere between the ceiling and Takumi's head.  
He waited patiently. Any moment now, he would be in intense happiness, or utter depression . . .  
  
Reina spoke again. "I didn't think . . . well, I've -"  
Takumi waited, breathing hard. What would her answer be?  
  
_Next time on Digimon Genesis! Happiness is promised for Takumi Hito! And the mystery deepens on the secret of the "dream gang"! Takumi visits Shun in juvenile hall, and luck visits Takumi! Find out what happens on the next Digimon Genesis:  
  
"REDEMPTION OF RYOTA"_


	14. Redemption of Ryota

__

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon. My friend doesn't own Digimon. Or anyone who lives in my house. Or my neighborhood. Unless . . . Akiyoshi Hongo is in disguise!! But the point is, I don't own Digimon.  
  
Previously on Digimon Genesis! Takumi headed off to school for another normal day! From his neighbor, Masami, he learned that a school dance would be held and wondered if Reina would like to go with him . . . after counseling with Mr. Shale, he asked her out! But I'm not revealing what she answered until *THIS* chapter! That's right! *This* chapter.  
  
**DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER XIV  
REDEMPTION OF RYOTA**  
  
Takumi waited in suspense. Perhaps just one word from Reina Yoshida, his secret crush, might make his day or ruin it. Her mouth opened. She was going to respond.  
"I didn't expect to be asked out to the dance this early."  
Then, without thinking, Takumi asked:  
"So, will you go out with me?"  
"Sure."  
  
He could have jumped for joy at this response, but he couldn't because they were in the halls and he wasn't even supposed to be there, anyway. He was supposed to be in his classroom now, as his directions were to go straight back from Mr. Shale's room. Instead of jumping for joy, he said to her that it was great and that he'd see her on the night of May first.  
  
Takumi walked down the corridor, unable to hide the smile that was on his face. He walked into Miss Andrews' room without knowing it, hypnotized by Reina's answer. His teacher seemed to notice his happiness, but probably thought that it was from the appointment with the guidance counselor, Mr. Shale.  
  
"Everything go well?" she asked him as he walked by. Takumi only nodded, then found his seat next to Masami, who had his nose (literally) in his science book.  
Takumi didn't listen as Miss Andrews told them all about how different types of rocks came to be and where they were found. He was much too happy to bother with minor things such as his education.  
  
It was only on the bus coming home that afternoon that he noticed he had forgotten to record his homework for the entire day.  
  
* * *  
  
"Dumpy sort of place, isn't it?" Ryota remarked as he and Takumi walked up to the juvenile hall, where Shun was staying at because he had been captured for a robbery that had been for good purposes.  
They stepped into the kid prison and were greeted by a fat, jovial man in a uniform. He sat behind a small desk, which piled on it were books of law enforcement. He had been reading a blue-covered book called _Crime and Punishment: Stupid Criminals and how they Fall._ He had a cigar in his mouth and tried the best he could to smile, showing all of his yellowing teeth.  
  
"'Lo," he said, throwing the book carelessly on the floor. "How you kids doin'?" He took a puff from his sugar, then made something which sounded like a combination of a grunt and a laugh.  
"Good," Takumi replied, feeling a bit nervous, as he always did around adults he had never met before, particularly ones with big, shiny badges and huge cigars. Then, proceeding with what he had come for, he asked, "Do you have a Shun Oshiro staying here?"  
  
It took a while for the cop to answer. He looked up at the ceiling, the cigar still between his unclean teeth. "What?"  
Ryota stepped in, and Takumi had the suspicion that he wanted to punch the chubby officer in the mouth. "We're looking for an Oshiro."  
"Spell it," returned the cop, who didn't do as much as glance at the list of names of boys who were staying in the hall.  
"O-S-H-I-R-O."  
The fat man skimmed through his pile of names. "Don't have an Oshiro," he said, taking the cigar out of his mouth and allowing smoke to come from it. Takumi had to put his nose in his shirt in order to breathe.  
  
"What!?" Ryota exclaimed in disbelief. "What do you mean 'there's no Oshiro'? Of course there's an Oshiro!"  
"Find the name yerself then," the cop ordered impatiently, handing him a clipboard with a paper attached which listed the names of all those imprisoned in the juvenile hall.  
Ryota looked at the 'O' section, and, finding Shun's name not there, skimmed the whole paper. Then he found out why the cop had not found the name.  
"It's in the 'D' section," he explained. "You spelt his name 'Dshiro'."  
"Really?" said the old cop, saying this in a tone that told them that he thought he could never make a mistake in his life. "Well," he said after Ryota gave him the clipboard back, "I s'pose the 'O's sometimes look like 'D's. Ain't my fault."  
  
Ryota performed a series of coughs that mysteriously sounded like "your mother".  
The cop, who on his badge Takumi read the name 'Mr. Gakusha', fumbled with some papers in the back of his office, then returned to the front desk, holding some papers.  
"Shun Oshiro's doin' community service work," Gakusha explained. "I'll tell 'em ya visited."  
Ryota seemed impatient. "You mean we can't visit him?"  
"Not while he's doing some service work, no."  
  
The two boys left fat Gakusha's office and discussed the situation. "What do we do now?" Takumi asked hopelessly, kicking a dead leaf down the road.  
"What does it look like we're supposed to do now?" Ryota replied, his hands in his pockets. He walked down the street, kicking a rock out of the way.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"We find Shun. That's what we need to do."  
  
"But that cop said -"  
  
"I don't care what that stupid cop said. We're going to find Shun, and that's final. We're not going to do anything illegal."  
  
"Yeah - but - what if we get in trouble with the pol-"  
  
"We're _not_ going to get in trouble with the police for _talking_ to someone."  
Takumi thought this over in his head, then joined Ryota as he kicked rocks down the street.  
  
They found Shun Oshiro, as well as some other jail mates of his, cleaning up trash alongside the road in the grass. A woman with shining blonde hair and small, clear glasses was monitoring their progress.  
"We can't be seen," warned Takumi, peering at the young woman. Silently, they crawled through the grass toward Shun, was in a gray, plain shirt. He didn't notice them quietly sneaking like a snake through the tall plants, he was too busy picking up trash alongside the road.  
At that moment, a big, blue truck roared past. The man dropped a soda bottle, as well as his gum, on the road.  
  
"Hey!" Shun shouted, shaking his fist at the man, but it was of no use, he was already speeding faraway. "I'm the one who has to clean this place up!" he bellowed.  
Ryota motioned for Takumi to stand up, the young woman was busy attending to a boy who looked as though he had been playing in the mud instead of cleaning. He stood up, feeling itchy all over, the grass had nipped his body.  
  
Shun spun around when he saw something in the corner of his eyes. "Takumi! Ryota!" he shouted, blinking his eyes in disbelief.  
Takumi and Ryota tried to silence his shouts of disbelief, but it was of no use. The young woman, who was done with the mud boy, was already walking towards them.  
"Hide!" Takumi exclaimed suddenly, but none did so.  
As the woman approached, they saw not anger, as they had imagined, but a look of happiness. "Hello," she greeted pleasantly, nodding and letting the glasses fall slightly off her eyes. "It's so good to see you here. We rarely have visitors."  
  
Takumi and Ryota looked at each other, then at the young woman. They didn't speak.  
"Allow me to introduce myself," the woman said, holding out her hand to let the boys shake it, "my name is Diana Watari, headmistress and instructor of the Eastern Yokohama Juvenile Hall."  
  
"Hi," both boys replied, taking turns to shake her hand, which Takumi felt was bony and smooth.  
"S-sorry," he uttered, but his words were so quiet they were barely distinguishable.  
"Sorry?" Ms. Watari asked, taken aback. Obviously, she had heard Takumi's small word. "There's nothing to be sorry about." She eyed them suspiciously, but with a thin smile on her smooth face. "Well, you haven't done anything yet, have you?" she laughed.  
"We - we heard," Takumi said, thinking about the fat policeman, "we heard that we weren't allowed to visit people here who had - community service work."  
  
"Really?" Ms. Watari asked, puzzled. "Who told you that?"  
  
"Mr. -" Takumi was about to say his last name, but Ryota, who didn't know it, stepped in.  
  
"The guy behind the front desk."  
  
Ms. Watari glanced at her watch. "Hmm . . . four thirty-four. That would mean . . . Mr. Gakusha was behind the desk . . . hmm . . ."  
"The guy that you talked to," she explained, "is really new, and loves giving punishments to the kids that go here. And let me tell you this: I have been here for years, and we would never, ever outlaw speaking to someone. I'm sorry if you felt like you had to sneak in to talk to Shun here."  
  
She indicated the eighth grader, who was standing there with a garbage bag in his hand. He smiled cordially at Ms. Watari.  
"But me," she said, "I don't like giving strict punishments. I came here so that I could lead kids in the right direction, away from drugs and robberies and that sort of thing. I believe that you, Shun, were arrested for a burglary?"  
  
At these words, an expression of guilt came upon the boy's plump face. "Yes," he admitted.  
"What's important is that you feel bad about it now." She glanced at her watch again. "Four thirty-five!" she explained. "We must get back to the hall." She blew a large, white whistle, which was dangling from her neck. It made an earsplitting screech, which made Takumi flinch in fear.  
  
"Sorry," she apologized, marching the kids back to the hall. "You can come visit us now if you'd like," she told them as she walked past. Shun followed the little group of kids, garbage bags in hand. Ms. Watari had a huge trash can, which all the bad kids dumped their collected trash in. It was obvious from some bags that they had not worked as hard. Shun's bag, however, was full of litter.  
  
_He must be trying to prove that he isn't bad,_ Takumi thought, as he followed the group of kids along with Ryota, who had his hands in his pockets and was making a game of throwing pebbles at some of the kids' legs.  
The group quickened when they neared the juvenile hall, still looking dumpy, still looking old in the rays of the sunset.  
Ms. Watari gave them permission to visit Shun. His room in the hall was located in Dorm 7. Shun, with a key, opened the door and slowly walked inside. His roommate, a boy with a Mohawk who looked at least fifteen, was ripping pages out of a battered old book.  
  
"'Lo, Hawk," Shun greeted. Hawk didn't look up. He seems to be trying to fold the book's spine. He grunted in return, then succeeded in completely ruined the book. He tried to throw the old book out the window, but there were bars that made sure the inhabitants of the room couldn't escape. He grunted again when he saw that his efforts were pointless.  
  
"So, here's the room," Shun announced. There were two beds on each side of the room. Shun pointed to his, which was farthest away from the window. There was a shelf full of books in one corner. They appeared untouched, and the only one that appeared to ever have been taken out was the one which Hawk had ruined. On the floor were various paintings, which Takumi instantly figured they were Shun's, as Hawk didn't look like the type who would paint. In fact, Hawk didn't look like he could do anything.  
  
"So, how's it like here?" Ryota asked. Shun was about to answer, but Hawk looked up.  
  
"Visitors?" he frowned. "You know I don't like visitors."  
  
"You don't like a lot of things," was the unsympathetic reply. Shun noticed a drawing of his that looked slightly altered. "Have you been screwing with my art?"  
"I made it better," he said, smelling the ruined book cover.   
Takumi looked at the art. It was of a large bush, with many flowers. In the sky of the painting was a crude drawing of what appeared to be a gnome.  
"I've got to keep my paintings in a safe place," Shun said as he scooped up the ruined peace of art. "And it was all ready for painting, too. Oh well! I'm used to setbacks." He opened a drawer by his bed which contained many more drawings, paintings, and even a chipped sculpture. "What are you asking?" he said to Ryota, after putting the tainted work into the drawer and shutting it.  
  
"Oh," said Ryota guiltily, "well . . . never mind that . . . it's just I . . . I wanted to apologize for . . . all of the . . . horrible things I've said about you. I only said them so that I would be in the 'crowd'." He sighed.  
Shun seemed taken aback, but was nonetheless grateful. "Don't worry about it," he assured. "I'm just glad that you trust me now." He plopped onto his small bed. "Not very comfortable, is it?" he asked, after Takumi and Ryota had plopped on next to him.  
Ryota sighed. "I never knew - I mean - if I had knew that this would happen - I would have never said -"  
  
"Never mind that, Ryota. We can't change the past, and there's no use griping about it."  
Shun told them all about juvenile hall as Ryota sat on the bed and Takumi skimmed through the book titles on the shelf. He had a natural love for books, even though he didn't have very many at his house. He picked up an old one and dusted it. He wondered if his father had ever read books like this one . . .  
  
"Yeah, Ms. Watari's pretty nice," Shun was saying. "She's like some kind of a counselor, and interviews us everyday."  
He put the book down sadly and jumped on the bed again, where Shun was telling about his new paintings. Ryota was slowly growing to be friends with the accused boy, and began to understand how little things on the outside tell us.  
  
"What's that one named?" Ryota asked, pointing at an unfinished painting of a beautiful sunrise over a mountaintop. Takumi thought it was the most excellent painting he had ever seen. It was so realistic, so lifelike . . .  
  
"Don't have a name for it," Shun replied. "But I started it when I got to this place. It gives me hope . . . the sunrise is a symbol of hope . . ." His voice trailed off while he went to get another one of his paintings. The other one was not exactly beautiful, but it was still a wondrous work of art.  
  
"Can you imagine what would happen if there was no sun?" Shun asked.  
  
"We'd all freeze and die?" Takumi joked.  
  
"No, I mean -" Shun began, somewhat irritated, "what if there was no light? All darkness." The picture was the one that Takumi had seen before, except it seemed almost finished. A mountain against a dark, misty sky, that looked foreboding and uninviting.  
Shun put the painting down and pulled out another one, which shown a wolf outrunning a rabbit in the snow. "I'm glad they let me keep my paintbrushes," he commented as he put it down.  
  
Suddenly, Takumi remembered why they had come to talk to Shun in the first place. Obviously, Ryota had forgotten this and was busy making up with him.  
  
"Shun," he asked. "You know those dreams that we have - about those scientists?"  
  
The plump boy paused for a moment, then replied:  
"Yeah," he said, in a quiet sort of voice, and Takumi knew why. Hawk was in the room, but Takumi had an impression that he probably didn't care what anyone said. He continued to ruin the book in his hands even more. "What about them?"  
  
"Well -" Takumi said, in a quieter tone, "we want to track down those people that turned us into Digimon. Then they can explain, you can be released, and we won't be in trouble."  
Shun's eyes widened. "Yeah. So what's your point?"  
"Can you identify any of them? What were their names?"  
"Well -" Shun held up his fingers and began to count. "There's this guy named Quiz - there's a woman - a woman named Search - then there's this other guy - what's his name -?"  
  
"Stone?"  
  
"Yeah, that's right. Stone. And there's also - what's his name?"  
  
"Please - try to tell us this name! That's what we need! Try to remember!"  
  
Shun racked his brain, thinking hard. "It was - something - Cyber - no - Needle - well - it's probably -"  
  
Takumi and Ryota waited in suspense.  
  
"Shadow."  
  
This was the word that came from Shun. They now had the complete list of the people who had turned them into Digimon: Stone, Search, Quiz, and Shadow.  
Soon, it was six 'o clock. There was a loud knock on the door, which turned out to be Mr. Gakusha, who ordered Shun that there was to be no visitors in the room after six 'o clock. It was getting kind of late, but Takumi had a strange feeling that Mr. Gakusha had made that rule up as well.  
  
They thanked Shun for his information, who went down to have dinner. Before he left the room, Takumi eyed the painting of the sunrise over the mountain.  
  
_Surely,_ Takumi thought. _He would be able to make this hope come true for Shun. For everyone. Someone would make this hope come true . . ._  
  
* * *  
  
About two weeks passed since Takumi and Ryota visited Shun in juvenile hall. Surprisingly, they had encountered no more Digimon-human hybrids, and had equal success on finding any members of the Shadow Gang, the group who turned them into Digimon.  
Takumi Hito, however, was more focused on school now. Everyday he talked to Reina on the phone. About the dance, about school, about life in general - Takumi peered up at the ceiling of the classroom he was in. It was the afternoon of the dance, and he couldn't stand being in science class, where they had moved on from learning about rocks to learning about animals. Harder still was being able to deal with Adamu's attempts to make conversation with him. Adamu Kitoaji sat in front of Takumi during language arts, science, and math.  
  
Adamu's latest effort to annoy him to death was to ask questions about Takumi's favorite animal. Currently, they were working on animal projects, which were due in a week. There jobs were to think of their favorite animal, then make a report on them (where do they live? what do they eat? what animals are they related to?). Takumi had barely started his project (which was on jackrabbits), and frankly, he didn't care if he didn't turn it in. Adamu, however, had a different opinion of the animal project.  
  
"I'm doing mine on foxes," he explained, turning around in his seat. He talked very loudly, which normally would have drove Miss Andrews over the edge, but she seemed to be too happy to ask to cease the noise.  
"That's nice," he replied, completely nonplussed.  
Adamu must have unnoticed Takumi's lack of enthusiasm, for he kept rattling on. "What are you doing your project on?"  
"Jackrabbits."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"No."  
  
"It looks like you're doing jackrabbits."  
  
"I am."  
  
"But you said -"  
  
"I know what I said."  
  
"Do you even like jackrabbits?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then why'd you choose them?"  
  
"Because."  
  
"Because why?"  
  
Takumi had the slight urge to throw his ruler at him, which he was using to construct a perfect line on his paper. "Because I did."  
This seemed to end Adamu's interest in why he had chosen jackrabbits to do his report on, but still, he rattled on, telling about his project:  
  
"Why do you think I wanted to do foxes?" he asked testily.  
  
"Because you want to sleep with them," Takumi wanted to say, but instead, his words came out like this:  
"I don't know. Why?"  
  
Adamu looked delighted that he couldn't answer the question. "Because they're beautiful, foxes. I'd like to pet one of them."  
  
"Knowing you, more than that," Takumi mumbled.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Never mind," he snapped, which shut Adamu up.  
But it wasn't only Adamu who annoyed Takumi: Masami was ranting on how girls didn't care to look on the inside of a boy instead of the outside.  
  
"Can you believe this?" he asked irritably while he was untidily cutting out a picture of a monkey. "I asked Yuuko out earlier today, and guess what she said!"  
  
"What?" he asked, sounding interested, but knowing exactly what she had said.  
"She said that she was going with that punk Ryota!" he exclaimed, unknowingly cutting his picture of a monkey in half.  
"Punk?" Takumi asked slyly. "Better not let Ryota hear that. He wouldn't like being called a 'punk'"  
Masami looked around the room nervously. "He's not even here!"  
"I know," he returned, "but I could tell him that you said that. He's not going to let you get away with saying that."  
  
Masami's glasses lowered to reveal his small brown eyes. "You - you won't tell him, will you?" he pleaded. "Please - I -"  
  
"I won't tell," he assured, then added slyly:  
  
"But you know, it's tempting. If you let one thing slip -"  
  
"I won't! I won't!" Masami pleaded.  
  
"Good. Just be careful," he warned. The bell rang two minutes later, and Takumi left the room with a satisfied smile on his face.  
  
* * *  
  
Takumi arrived home stressfully. He had almost missed the bus, he had been so absorbed in a conversation with Reina Yoshida, who agreed to meet him at the dance at seven fourteen, near the entrance of the gym. His mother was not at home yet, so he was free to do what he wanted for the small remainder of his time before the dance, which he spent shopping for clothes - he wanted to look his best at the event.  
  
When he got home, it was already six thirty-five. He slipped his new clothes on (twice, he needed to cut off the tags), which were blue shorts and a t-shirt that read "My goal is to deny yours". He also wore a green cap which bared the logo of his favorite soccer team. He combed his hair, which didn't seem to agree with him that night and kept sticking up. While he was attending that tedious task, he thought he heard a noise in the closet. Like something that fell. He put the comb down, forgetting that his hair was still as untidy as ever. Something seemed to fall in his closet again. At first, Takumi thought it was just a box or something related, but it seemed as though whatever was moving in his closet wasn't a _thing_ - it sounded like a human.  
  
_Must be a rat,_ Takumi thought, reflecting on how his mother never had much time to clean up around the house. He had never seen a rat in his house before, but he guessed that there were some, and whenever an unusual noise was heard, he dismissed it as another one of those pesky rodents.  
  
Whatever was in the closet sounded again.  
"Is anybody - there?" Takumi asked. He felt stupid afterwards. Did he actually expect whatever was in the closet (if, of course, something was in the closet), to answer back? He was just about to open the doors and see what was inside when Mrs. Hito came in. She was holding a blue book under her arms.  
  
"I hear you're having a school dance," she said. "Do you need me to drive you there?"  
  
"No," he replied swiftly. "I'll just go on my bike."  
  
"Okay," she returned, a bit unsatisfied, as she had her finger on her lips. "Well - you're the one always worried if someone will steal it - but whatever floats your boat -"  
"It'll be fine, Mom. They have security cameras all over the school now."  
  
"Oh yes," she returned warmly. "Yes - of course they would." A troubled look appeared on her face. "Try to be careful, Takumi. I'm really worried about these rumors - robots and dragons, and all those other things -"  
  
"You don't believe them, do you?" Takumi asked uncertainly. If anyone found out that he could transform into Hiamon - well, he didn't want to think about it.  
  
"Of course not!" Mrs. Hito exclaimed, with a smile on her face. "I mean - you're right, really - all just rumors. But I still worry. Someone's been murdering these people - that little boy, and poor old Mr. Felters. And - well - robots and dragons - and murders - they all seem to be connected, that's all." She then wore her troubled look again. "Be careful, Takumi. I love you."  
  
"I love you too, Mom," he returned, then hugged and kissed her good-bye.  
"Be home by eight!" she warned, as Takumi hopped on his red bicycle and kicked the kick-stand up. He rode out of the garage, then down the street (then turning back because Mrs. Hito spotted that he wasn't wearing a helmet, and then going back again), and down the old road to East Yokohama Middle School. The dance, as stated earlier, would be held in the gym. A conveniently-placed bike rack stood a little ways from the entrance, and when Takumi arrived at the small school he put his bicycle on it, where three other bicycles were placed.  
  
"Darn!" he exclaimed. "I forgot my lock." He then gazed at the security camera overhead. He then assured himself that no one would dare steal a bike in front of the mechanical spy. He grabbed his hat from the steering area of the bike (which he had placed in order to allow his helmet to fit on his head) and, without further ado, neared the entrance on foot, where he was greeted by Mrs. Questus.  
  
"Take off your hat!" she scowled, and not waiting for Takumi to take it off himself, collected it from atop his head. "When _I_ was in middle school," she explained, stopping to rant while holding a large pile of hats, "in 1946, we actually had manners. No, none of this hat-wearing inside buildings and things -" She stopped to look at Takumi's clothes. "And we wore real clothes, too, not - not _revealers_," she said, scowling at a girl nearby, who looked rather harassed.  
  
Unfortunately for Mrs. Questus, Takumi didn't have time to learn the particulars of her rather boring and uneventful life. Reina was nearby and standing out the doors, but she hadn't noticed him walk in.  
He smiled. The dance was beginning.  
  
_Next time on Digimon Genesis! What begins as a grand dance results in a chaotic disaster, with even more in store! How fitting, because on the next Digimon Genesis, it's:  
  
"MAY DAY"_


	15. May Day

__

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon. That's one. Now, find all the disclaimers in the world that states they don't own Digimon. Then, find out how many people in the world actually have heard of Digimon. Ask the remainder if they own Digimon. Soon, you'll close the gap and find Mr. Hongo! Gosh, this was the most pointless disclaimer I've ever written . . .  
  
Previously on Digimon Genesis, Reina agreed to go out with Takumi for the upcoming school dance. Takumi and Ryota went to visit Shun, who was trapped in juvenile hall. Takumi promised that one day, he would be free . . . and now, we join our hero entering the gymnasium for the school dance!  
  
DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER XV  
MAY DAY  
  
"Hey!"  
The beautiful girl known as Reina Yoshida spun around. Upon seeing Takumi, her partner for the dance, she smiled brightly. "You look good," she whispered. Takumi grinned.  
"You too," he said aloud, looking at her good choice of clothes.  
"Thanks," she whispered, and led him to the food table. There, cake, fruit, ice cream, and punch were being served. It was an appetite-whetting spread.  
"I baked those," Reina announced proudly, pointing to some chocolate layer cake, which Takumi tried instantly. It was good cake. He wasn't surprised. Only Reina Yoshida could bake food as good as that.  
"It's delicious," he announced, through cake in his mouth.  
Reina blushed and offered Takumi some punch. Cups were already filled, so Takumi picked one and talked to Reina through drink. As he was enjoying some fruit punch between an exchange of words between Reina and him, he spotted Ryota and Yuuko together. Ryota looked less than interested about having Yuuko as a partner, Yuuko kept insisting that he needed to dance with her. Takumi grinned and stopped drinking from his cup. Reina had noticed the couple too, and they walked together to Ryota and Yuuko, the latter talking frantically.  
  
"Hey, Ryota!" Takumi exclaimed, looking at Yuuko and him. "You never told me you were going out with Yuuko."  
Yuuko looked flattered.  
  
"Yeah, well -" Ryota began, but was cut short by Yuuko's frantic attempts to get him to dance.  
  
"Come on, Ryota!" she exclaimed, tugging at a surprised Ryota's hand. "Let's dance!" And they walked off together, but not before Ryota made a desperate and failed struggle to wrench out of the girl's grasp.  
  
"You're friends with Ryota?" Reina asked interestingly.  
  
"Yeah," Takumi said, gazing around the gym. He spotted Miss Andrews in a corner, tugging on Mr. Akimoto's hand in the same way Yuuko had been tugging on Ryota's.  
  
"Come - on - !" she was urging him. "Come on. There's nothing wrong with dancing with me, is there?"  
  
Takumi sworn he heard a quiet "yes" come from the gym teacher's mouth, but Miss Andrews probably didn't hear him.  
"I'm so glad I have you as a partner," Miss Andrews said sweetly to the gym teacher, who was rubbing his arm. She suddenly caught sight of a group of sixth graders who were paired up, but weren't dancing.  
"Come on!" Miss Andrews exclaimed. "Satoshi, show them how to dance!"  
  
  
"No - no," Mr. Akimoto gasped, possibly thinking of the consequences of dancing in front of the sixth graders, who were jumping madly and persuading him to dance in front of them.  
"Sorry, guys," Mr. Akimoto said when he was near the sixth graders, and even with his sunglasses on you could tell that his eyes were full of dread. He was desperate to end the situation, but Miss Andrews pushed him in the crowd of sixth graders playfully. He had no choice but to dance in front of them.  
And dance he did - he violently started to move his shoulders and jerk his arms, making loud exclamations every time he moved. Miss Andrews clapped maniacally, as well as the sixth graders, who were whooping with laughter. Miss Andrews probably thought that Mr. Akimoto looked like the best guy in the gym. Takumi thought he looked like a chicken.  
  
He grinned and caught sight of the other dance attendants: Mrs. Falle was dancing with her husband, Mr. Falle, an orderly, old-fashioned man who had become enraged because Chiaki (dancing with a plump sixth grader) had thrown an orange at his head, allowing his wig to fall off. Adamu Kitoaji was dancing with a small, pig-tailed sixth grade girl near the front entrance. Mrs. Questus was now dancing with her husband, a small, black-haired man who didn't seem to enjoy the food. Masami Okabe was alone, helping himself to cake and punch, which he consumed in small nibbles. Mr. Shale, with his broken leg fully healed (but Takumi noticed he still examined it) was dancing with an eighth-grade teacher whom Takumi had never seen before. He was standing by Mr. Mes as the eighth-grade teacher offered him some more punch. Mr. Shale nodded and the eighth-grade teacher hastened to the food table, where Chiaki was trying to recite the alphabet (backwards) in burps.  
  
Mr. Mes, like Ryota, seemed not to care for the dance at all. However, his carelessness for the dance was quite different from Ryota's. He had an ill-colored expression on his face and scowled at the attendants who were dancing too wildly. Mr. Shale and the janitor started talking, and Takumi was able to catch what they were saying:  
"Now, just because you're partner-less doesn't mean you can't enjoy the dance," Mr. Shale was saying. "Have you tried the food?"  
  
Mr. Mes grunted in reply and took no interest in the second question, but instead explained the reason he didn't enjoy the dance:  
"I don't know. It seems unfair, really, that some get partners and some don't. Always hated dances when I was a kid."  
  
Mr. Shale laughed. "So what do you want to do instead? Pair them up?"  
  
"No," Mr. Mes snapped irritably. "It's just - I don't know."  
  
"Well, if you have another way, then tell me. You don't have a wife, do you?"  
  
"No," he replied. "No one to dance with either."  
  
"Well," Mr. Shale said thoughtfully, gazing at Mr. Akimoto, who was dancing wildly to Miss Andrews' and the sixth graders' whoops of laughter, "sometimes it's best not to have a partner."  
Takumi snorted.  
"Why'd you come, then?" Mr. Shale asked the janitor, trying to be pleasant. "For the food, I imagine?"  
  
"Business," was the reply, and he seemed about to say more, but a skinny eighth grader who didn't seem to dance really well accidentally stepped on his shoe.  
  
"Hey!" Mr. Mes snapped at them. "Do that again, and you're out of the dance, Chikanatsu!" And then, pointing a finger at him, exclaimed to his partner, "and that goes for you as well, Takishida!"  
  
Mr. Mes then turned back to Mr. Shale. "Lousy kids," he muttered, with a dull, tired expression on his face. The counselor didn't seem to share his feelings. Instead, he seemed rather sorry for Chikanatsu, until the eighth grade teacher arrived with punch for Mr. Shale. She had brought along two glasses, one for Shale and one for Mes, but the janitor refused.  
  
Takumi then turned to Reina, who had been listening in on the conversation as well.  
"That Mr. Mes gives me the creeps," she said. "He's such a horrible man. No wonder he hasn't found anyone."  
  
"Yeah," Takumi agreed, although he felt slightly sorry for Mr. Mes, even though he did hate all of the students. "But I guess that explains why he's always so nasty."  
  
Finally, they both danced. Takumi put his arms around her and they danced to the music. For a split second, he felt as though he were in heaven. He had never felt so close to someone. It was as though it were a dream, which he tested by biting his tongue. No, it wasn't a dream. It was real life, and one of the happiest days of it. His mind somehow drifted to Shun Oshiro, locked in juvenile hall, away from this spectacular event. He wondered what he was doing now - probably trying to redo a painting which that terrible roommate, Hawk. And now, he started to feel as though this dance shouldn't be happening - that he shouldn't be with beautiful Reina. He didn't deserve this -  
  
_CRASH_.  
  
The sound was heard even over the uproar of the music. Everyone turned to where the sound was heard, near the doors. Chiaki stopped burping and Masami spilt punch down his pants.  
"What was that?" everyone was asking. "It sounded like glass" - "Gosh, what is that?" and -  
"Look! Near the entrance!"  
  
The words came from Chikanatsu, the boy who had stepped on Mr. Mes' foot. For a second, Takumi had no idea what he was talking about. But then, he, along with the rest of the gymnasium, saw what it was.  
Near the entrance was a brilliant-red fox with a long, ginger tail, standing on all fours. It was one of the most beautiful animals that Takumi had ever lay eyes on. Except it seemed bigger than a normal fox - with markings around it's eyes. Apparently the large fox had cracked the glass in the door and gotten through.  
The gymnasium fell into a hushed silence. Takumi was bewildered and only looked at the pretty fox for some time, until he looked back and saw a look of delight on Mr. Mes' face.  
  
"What is that thing?" a girl asked near the back, breaking the sound-filled silence.  
  
"A fox!" a sixth grade boy exclaimed.  
  
"A big fox!" a seventh grader that Takumi had never seen before corrected.  
  
Mr. Akimoto stood up. Takumi knew what he was going to do. He was obviously trying to escort the fox back to the forest.  
  
"Don't go!" Miss Andrews tried to persuade him to stay.  
  
The gym teacher didn't listen, and instead approached the fox with a surprising look of calmness on his face. Takumi guessed that he was trying to hide his fear, for anyone, even the strongest man in the world, would be afraid of confronting a fox of that size.  
  
"It might have rabies!" Miss Andrews exclaimed.  
  
Mr. Akimoto didn't listen. "Come on, foxy," he said playfully to the big fox as though it were a small puppy. "Let's take you back to your home, alright? You don't belong here -" He stopped, and saw that there was one other person besides him approaching the fox.  
It was Adamu Kitoaji.  
  
"Adamu!" Miss Andrews shrieked. "Get back!"  
  
"No," Adamu insisted. "I know all about foxes. Look, let me handle him Mr. Akimoto - I -"  
  
"No, Kitoaji," Mr. Akimoto said calmly. "Get back to your partner. Let me handle this."  
But the student didn't listen. Instead, he went nearer the fox, who narrowed her eyes and snarled, showing every one of those sharp teeth.  
  
"It's going to bite you!" Mr. Akimoto exclaimed, and tried to get Adamu to get back, but it was too late.  
The fox sprang. Adamu leapt back in horror, but the fox could jump much farther than he could and soon was on top of the boy.  
"Get off!" Mr. Akimoto urged the fox, but he himself had leapt back at the fox's snarling.  
Of course, the fox did not listen. She held her claws high in the air, then -  
Takumi felt a horrible jolt of fear. Then it came to him from deep within his instincts - that fox - _that fox was a Digimon_.  
The fox Digimon held her claws even higher. Takumi knew what was coming next. Adamu did too. Takumi closed his eyes, and knew Adamu had closed them too, as well as the rest of the gym. They all knew what claws lifted high in the air meant. Higher and higher, as the suspense exploded, then the fox would violently force his claws down on the body -  
_SWIPE_. Several scrapes at the neck from the fox Digimon was the end of Adamu, but not before a horrible shriek emitted from him. The horrible sound echoed throughout the gym, dancing off the walls. The fox continued to claw at the dead boy.  
  
"Everyone -" Mr. Akimoto quivered, up against the wall, "get out - out of the gym. Out. OUT!"  
  
The students and staff inside the gym needed no persuasion. They rushed out of the gymnasium where the dance had come to an abrupt end, out into the campus, sans Miss Andrews, who went after Mr. Akimoto.  
  
"Let's go!" she cried to him, but the gym teacher seemed to be stunned with fear at how quickly and easily the fox had killed Adamu.  
  
"Right," he said finally, and they left the gym holding hands.   
  
Takumi caught Reina leaving without him. He wondered what to do, then thought it best to leave with Reina, make sure she (and the rest of the school) was safe, then find Ryota and fight the fox Digimon.  
He rushed for the door and was the last person out. He turned back to see the fox again and, unintentionally, the dead body of Adamu. But the fox Digimon had left. Takumi's mind raced. Where had he gone? Could he have gone off on the campus where Reina and the others were? Takumi stopped in his tracks as he watched the last few dance attendants run off the grounds. Should he dare go after the fox?  
No. He had to keep Reina and the others safe.  
  
Takumi Hito was the one who ran faster than all the others. His hopes that he would be able to protect the group from the fox Digimon encouraged him to run, harder and faster than he had ever gone before. He imagined he could outdistance a car at this time, his superhuman strength with him . . .  
He saw a whole group of students and staff near the parking lot, giving instructions. Many students (and some teachers) were trying to make a run for it, but Mr. Falle stopped them.  
  
"Do not worry," Mr. Falle assured.  
They worried.  
  
"Everything will be all right."  
Takumi knew that nothing would be all right if the fox Digimon got to them . . .  
  
"We will be taking you home."  
_Great,_ Takumi thought. _Now he would have to make sure that the teachers didn't spot him trying to fight the fox . . ._  
"If you have a bike or something, please get it and leave the grounds immediately."  
_Great!_ Takumi thought, with much more enthusiasm than his last. He would find Ryota, ride his bike to where the fox was, and fight it. It wouldn't be strong enough to beat both Hiamon _and_ Kibamon.  
  
After Mr. Falle gave her final direction, pandemonium struck. The teachers tried to control everything (except for some teachers, who were running away) and give the students rides home, and make sure the students on bicycles were able to find them and get home. Mr. Falle was calling the Animal Control Center. If the Animal Control Center got to the fox first . . . well, Takumi didn't want to think about it. Instead, he tried to find Ryota. He ran from car to car, seeing if Ryota was inside. Finally, he was able to find where he was: In Mrs. Questus' car - unfortunately, the car had already started and was heading off down the street. There was no way possible for Takumi to get Ryota to help him - except for explaining the situation to a teacher, which he obviously couldn't do.  
  
In the excitement, he had forgotten about Reina. He had to make sure that she was all right . . . he checked, and finally found Reina disappearing into a car with the eighth grade teacher that had danced with Mr. Shale, and after he was certain that the grounds were vacant, all the cars had left, and all the students except for him who had arrived on bicycles were gone, he sped over to the bike rack. He would just have to fight the fox Digimon alone. Except for one problem . . .  
  
Takumi's bike was gone. Someone had stole it.  
  
He gasped. He had always feared his bike being stolen . . . he looked hopefully up at the security cameras, which displayed his face . . . yes, the security cameras. They would help him find the thief.  
  
_Just another setback,_ he thought. Instead of pedaling to catch up to the fox, he would have to walk - or transform. The latter appealed to him, but if the Animal Control Center spotted him - the fox Digimon had already caused enough chaos. All the townspeople needed now was a dragon . . .  
Takumi looked around. The bicycle rack was located near a dark forest. If the fox was in there . . . yes, it had to be. He gathered up all his courage and slid down the leafy hill into the woods. He looked up at the trees. The birds seemed to eye him almost suspiciously as he set his feet on the dirty forest floor.  
"Here, foxy!" he whispered, crouching down and walking in the dirt of the forest. He looked down at his shoes that he had polished before the dance. They would be ruined. But that didn't matter to him. His goal was to find the fox Digimon before it could harm anybody.  
  
The leaves creaked against his feet. If the fox Digimon was around, she would surely hear him. He gazed around the forest. He saw the trunks of many trees, and looking up at the sky, the canopy atop him. Before him stood an oak tree, so large that if hollow, a grown man could stand inside of it. He surveyed the tree with interest and amazement, then moved on. The fox could be anywhere . . . the forest had many hiding places.  
For an instant he thought he saw a flash of red from the tail of the fox, but it turned out to be only a dead leaf blowing in the wind.  
  
Takumi stood there in silence. Every second, he could hear a bird chirping behind him. Even though the peaceful song of the birds would normally fill him with safety, it did nothing now. He had the odd feeling that someone was watching him . . . someone that was not too friendly . . . could it be that the fox was watching his every move, waiting for the chance to spring, to kill?  
  
He felt the little hairs on his neck stand up. It dawned on him that he was all alone, only protected by the tiny birds, in a dark forest with a murderer, an animal, a beast . . . even with his transformation powers with him, he felt scared, powerless. Powerless . . . weak . . . small . . . that horrible feeling of uncertainty that you get when you are all alone . . . it is a most terrible feeling which we have all experienced, and I must inform you that this feeling is one of the most powerful and most frightening. And for Takumi, the woods seemed darker, and in his mind, the fox grew more and more intimidating. Your mind begins to exaggerate when you feel this kind of mental pain.  
  
Takumi reflected on how easily the fox Digimon had killed Adamu . . . and then, terrible images flashed in his mind, some of the most frightening images he had ever imagined in his entire life. What if the fox was right behind him, right now, ready to spring? If the fox clawed him from behind . . . the animal would have the advantage of a surprise attack, and Takumi wouldn't have time to transform . . . he didn't want to think about it. But the thought, as well as many others, didn't leave him. When you are frightened and alone, all of your fears come out, and they never leave you . . .  
Fueled by his fright, he looked around the forest for any sign of that horrible murderer, the sly fox . . . but he could see nothing behind a field of trees and dirt.  
  
_CRACK!_  
  
He whirled around, expecting to see the large fox in front of him. But after he regained his senses, he realized that the sound had been made by another one of those birds that seemed to be everywhere. It had stepped on a dead leaf, which had made an eerie cracking sound. Takumi felt foolish, as we always do when we are frightened by something as small as that, but he remained afraid.  
He decided to run. He couldn't stand waiting in a terrible forest, where a demonic beast may be waiting to kill him. He didn't want to find the fox anymore. He forgot all of his past fears of innocent people being the fox's victims . . . about his duty as a Digimon to make sure that everyone was safe . . . about Naoki's mission . . .  
  
Before running, he took a look at his D-Monster. Looking back on it, he thought he should have done this at the start. He pressed the MAP button, then looked for any signs of a dot that might indicate where the fox was. But there was nothing on the map, so when he heard a sound in the bushes a few seconds later he assured himself that it wasn't the fox Digimon.   
It didn't take Takumi as long as he thought it would to get out of the forest and onto the sidewalk. He began to jog home, and while doing so he looked back at the woods. Looking back on it, he thought it foolish to leave the forest, just as some people think they are foolish for fearing things of the night during the day. Had he been in the forest now, his thoughts would be different. But he didn't think about the forest anymore.  
  
_Would the fox Digimon be captured? Would they kill her before she transformed back to human? Would the Shadow Gang reveal all after the capture? What if the fox wasn't found? What if the fox wasn't even a Digimon? What if his senses had just been fooling him? Would members of the Animal Control Center be hurt in trying to capture it? What if he was blamed for the incident?_  
  
He kicked a leaf out of his way, then peered up at the clouds. A bird flew overhead. "Oh well," he thought aloud, watching the robin settle down in it's nest. "I'll just have to hope for the best. Either way, it's something bad for me. It always is." He sighed as the robin chirped merrily. He looked hungrily at the bird. That bird . . . so carefree . . . and Takumi . . . so chained to his life. How he wished he could fly away from his troubles!  
  
Suddenly, he heard a whooshing noise behind him. He turned his head away from the bird and spun around. Had the noise been made by the fox?  
  
No. Another premature conclusion.  
  
A blue car was slowly going down the road in Takumi's direction. Feeling foolish at his blunder, Takumi turned around again and put his hands in his pockets and trudged down the lonely road. A strong wind from the east blew. The sky held a foreshadowing of rain. Takumi didn't notice the thunderclouds sneaking up behind the trees. He didn't notice the sudden drop in temperature, because he had set his mind on the car behind him. Was it _following_ him? It sure seemed like it. Why else would it be traveling at such a slow rate? Unless . . .  
  
What if it was the Animal Control Center? The police? Perhaps they were trailing him because they were suspicious of why he was outside, only nine hundred yards from the scene of the crime. Would they question him?  
Takumi felt uncomfortable. He didn't dare turn around to face the car. He kept track of it's movement using his ears. Which was probably the reason why he jumped three feet in the air when he heard a sudden _BEEP_.  
He zipped around in a panic. The driver of the car had honked it's horn.  
_BEEP!_  
  
It sounded again. Did the driver want him to come near the car? The car's sunroof opened and a man's hand waved through it. Takumi narrowed his eyes at the blue car, as though he was trying to figure out who it belonged to. He had seen the car before . . . but where?  
Or maybe he was just being stupid. There were probably thousands of blue cars in the city alone. His mind wandered to various kidnappings that had taken place recently. Could this car be owned by a criminal who wanted to kidnap him and hold him for ransom?  
  
Suddenly, Takumi laughed. Through the car's windshield, he recognized the driver. All of his thoughts of some stranger who wanted to kidnap him for ransom fled. The driver was none other than Flint Shale, the counselor at East Yokohama Middle School.  
  
"Hey, Takumi!" the man shouted, honking his horn and turning on the windshield wipers to attract the boy's attention. But he needed no further ado. He hastened towards the truck with a grin on his face. But it disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared. Flint Shale was just as bad as any other teacher of member of the Animal Control Center finding him. Sure, he had been nice during their conferences together, but would he really put up with seeing one of his patients alone on a sidewalk near a scene of a crime, without any mode of transportation other than his legs?  
  
Takumi approached with caution, although he sincerely wished that he could disappear on the spot. He waited outside the car. The counselor lowered the window and leaned over. Takumi was relieved to discover that there was no expression of anger on his face. Instead, he was smiling good-naturedly.  
"What are you doing out here, all alone?" he asked. Any other adult would have asked this in an unpleasant manner, but it seemed impossible for Mr. Shale to sound stern. Although his tone was calm and reassuring, Takumi still panicked. It only occurred to him just now that he had no story to cover up his real reason for being outside at this moment. And then it dawned on him: to tell the truth. The truth was that he was out here because his bike had been stolen. Well, at least that was the _partial_ reason.  
  
"Someone stole my bike," he said, without the slightest trace of a lie in his voice.  
  
"Stole your bike?" Mr. Shale asked thoughtfully, scratching his chin. "Well, that's too bad."  
  
"I wonder who stole it," Takumi muttered.  
  
"Well, we can find out, if you'd like," the counselor said, opening a door for Takumi, then sat back in the driver's seat.  
Yes, thought Takumi. They could drive to the school, then the security cameras would tell him all he needed to know. He'd find the punk who stole his bike . . . it was quite nice to know that whoever stole his priced bicycle would be found . . . and they would pay . . .  
Takumi skipped to the other side of the car and got in, taking a seat near Mr. Shale.  
  
"What are you doing here?" he asked the counselor before he could stop himself.  
  
Mr. Shale began to drive faster, grunting as he jammed on the accelerator. "Had to help Mr. Falle and the Animal Control Center. Horrible, that fox, isn't it?"  
  
"Yes -" he said in agreement, "have - have they caught it yet?"  
  
"No," Mr. Shale sighed, turning off the windshield wipers. Takumi noticed they were the only ones on the road. The news about the fox must have spread - fast. "But we'll find it though," the counselor added swiftly. "Mark my words, we'll find it. But -" he turned to Takumi. "Don't try looking for it on your own. We've got enough mess to handle -"  
  
"Oh, I won't," lied Takumi in a reassuring tone.  
  
The car stopped in the school parking lot. _And now,_ thought Takumi, _to find that thief_. Mr. Shale stopped the car, then clambered out, and motioned for Takumi to get out, too. They both walked over to the bike rack, where Takumi's bicycle had been stolen (after Mr. Shale unlocked the door for him, of course).  
They both looked hopefully at the bike rack. There, stood _Takumi's stolen bicycle!_  
  
"Hey!" Takumi cried, running over to his beloved bike. "It's here! The thief must have taken it back!"  
Mr. Shale smiled. "Yes. That makes it easy for us. Now, we'll just have to look at the tapes on this camera -" They both peered up at the camera. Takumi's happy face and Mr. Shale's beaming expression reflected back at them.  
  
"Come on," the counselor motioned for him to follow him, "let's go to Mrs. Falle's office. That's where all the security tapes are stored." A jangling from his pocket revealed that he was looking for keys. Takumi then remembered all of the keys that he had pulled out a few weeks ago. He followed his counselor with interest to the principal's office. They entered the building. The lights were still on, but the area was vacant except for the two interested figures in the doorway.  
  
"Looks like someone forgot to turn on the lights," Mr. Shale announced, looking around the quiet hallway. "Remind me to turn them off when we go," he told Takumi. He then reached for another key in his pocket, and they trudged on, while the counselor dug around, searching for the right one.  
  
"Ah!" he said finally, when they had reached the door to Mrs. Falle's locked office. "Here it is." He held a blue key in his hand, which he inserted into the lock.  
  
CLANK.  
  
The door opened with a squeak. Mr. Shale allowed Takumi to enter first.  
The walls of the principal's office was covered with pictures of people that Takumi had never seen before. He guessed that they must be Mrs. Falle's children, or grandchildren. She looked old enough to be a grandmother. Takumi gazed at a picture of a teenage boy with a buzz cut, who was picking his nose.  
  
"It's hot in here," Mr. Shale muttered, putting his hands into his pocket. It was indeed hot. Mr. Shale walked to the corner of the room. No doubt he had turned on the air condition, for sounds came from the vent below Takumi's feet.  
  
"That's better," said the counselor, who rolled up his sleeves in a business-like matter, then announced:  
  
"Alright, Takumi. You ready to see who the thief is?"  
  
Takumi nodded. "Yeah!"  
The two walked to a room behind Mrs. Falle's desk. The room was tiny. It seemed full of different video screens, all with a tape in them. Takumi watched one screen: it showed the parking lot. In one space stood Mr. Shale's car. Another screen showed the hallway where he and Ryota had taught Teran Turpis and his gang a lesson. Another camera showed the forest where he had searched for the fox. Then, the hairs on Takumi's neck stood up again. What if, in order to find the fox, the Animal Control Center used the security tapes? If they saw him in the forest . . . he didn't want to think about it. Yet another screen showed the area near the entrance of the gym (Takumi could not see Adamu's body anymore, he figured it must have been collected). He could see, however, besides the shattered glass and the obvious fact that there were no attendants, the gymnasium looked as though the dance was still on. He wondered where he would be now if the dance was still on . . . probably with Reina Yoshida . . . he wondered where she was now. Hopefully, she was alright.  
  
"Ah!" Mr. Shale exclaimed, ejecting a tape from one of the televisions. "There. Let's see who stole your bike." Mr. Shale inserted the tape into an empty television which was not on. After turning it on, the two watched with interest. They rewound the tape all the way back to 7:34. A somewhat foggy image of the bike rack, as well as a small bit of the parking lot, was displayed. There was no sound coming from the video, but Takumi guessed that if there was, there would be the loud music coming from the gym. Minutes past, until it was 7:42. Around the time when Adamu had been killed by the fox Digimon. A few more minutes passed, then -  
  
_BUZZ_. The screen faded, then went blank for a few minutes, until it was 8:02. Then it went back to normal.  
"What's going on?" Takumi asked.  
Mr. Shale put a finger to his lips to silence him, which was strange, there was no sound coming from the video.  
The video continued to run, until 8:09. The screen faded again, then went fuzzy, until it was 8:14. Now, the bike was back on the rack, as though it had never even disappeared.  
  
"W-what happened?" Takumi asked.  
  
"Obviously," concluded Mr. Shale, checking his watch, "the thief was a little bit clever than we thought he was. But I've never seen anyone able to corrupt a security camera like that . . ." He rubbed his forehead. "Oh well. We'll just - report this to the school tomorrow. The important thing is you have your bike back. Do you want me to load your bike in my trunk, and then I can take you home? I don't feel comfortable leaving you out here, all alone." They looked outside. It was already dark.  
  
"Don't worry," replied Takumi, "I'll be fine."  
  
Takumi thanked Mr. Shale, then left on his bike, the counselor tailing him until he was within a few blocks of his home.  
When it was around nine, Takumi reached his house. He noticed all the lights were on. Suddenly, the door opened. In the doorway stood his mother. "Oh, Takumi!" she shrieked, hastening down the steps to where Takumi was on his bicycle. He took his helmet off, then hugged his mother. He knew why she was so worried. She had been worried about the third murder - the murder of Adamu Kitoaji. After a long hug, she looked into his eyes.  
  
"Oh, Takumi!" she repeated. "I was so - so worried!" They hugged again, then went inside the house, where Takumi felt much more comfortable. His mother tried to make him even more comfortable.  
  
"I'll give you a blanket!" she insisted, and after retrieving the item (which Takumi wrapped around his frigid body). They sat on the couch together and Mrs. Hito demanded (warmly) the story of why he was so late.  
Takumi told the particulars of the dance which had been ruined by the fox and how his bicycle had been stolen (but he left out the part of looking in the forest for the fox Digimon). His mother hugged him again, and Takumi felt safer, more comfortable at his home with his mother. They were family.  
  
"I - I don't want you to go to school tomorrow!" Mrs. Hito cried upon learning what had happened. Takumi knew that this statement was too good to be true. Many times when something dangerous had happened at school, she had said this, but never remained true to her words.  
She turned to the news station ("I hate that Jimbo woman!") where news was being broadcast over the latest murder at the large city.  
  
"This is Ryan Royama reporting for ONN - Obligatory News Network! Our latest story - murder at school? The latest, coming up now!"  
  
Mrs. Hito turned to her son. "When I heard that a boy from the dance had been murdered, and they were giving no names until the family were contacted, and you didn't show up until only a few minutes ago - you could imagine how worried I was!"  
Takumi nodded, and he realized that he should have just got on his bicycle and left after he had gotten out of the gym earlier. It would have saved him and his mother a lot of trouble and worry.  
They both turned back to the news, where Royama was reporting.  
  
"Adamu Kitoaji, age 11, was killed today by a vicious fox. The fox, as well as many students, attended a dance tonight that could have turned for the worst had it not been for the leadership of Mr. Falle, a kindly grown man who attended the dance with his wife, Guinevia Falle. And here we have Mr. Falle now."  
An image of Mr. Falle appeared on the screen, interviewed by Royama, who sat in his seat, leaning over with interest towards the "leader".  
  
"The fox has not been caught yet," Royama explained. "How do you feel about this?"  
  
"We'll catch 'em soon," Mr. Falle said, with a shake of his fist. His recent publicity seemed to be getting to him.  
  
"Right. Schools are still opened tomorrow, and as always, policeman will be guarding East Yokohama Middle School, as well as members of the Animal Control   
Center, who failed to capture the fox which killed the eleven year-old boy. And now - a terrible fire erupts from the local juvenile hall. More on this, and many more stories, tonight!"  
  
Mrs. Hito stood up impatiently. "How dare they treat this as though this is some kind of - some kind of - well, regular news story! A boy was killed today! Don't they care about this?" She shook her head. "Come on, Takumi - off to bed - you're sleeping in my room tonight - don't care what Ryan Royama says -"  
And, after checking all the doors and windows rather carefully, Mrs. Hito marched off to bed.  
  
"I'll come in a minute, mom," Takumi assured as she walked upstairs. The news story had gained his interest. Fire at juvenile hall? They couldn't mean -  
"And we're back," Royama said, "for our next story. A fire raged on through juvenile hall tonight, sadly killing one prisoner. The screen shifted to a picture of the juvenile hall, covered in ashes - _it was the juvenile hall which Shun attended_.  
  
_No,_ thought Takumi. It couldn't . . . the one who died couldn't be Shun . . . there were probably a hundred people staying at the hall . . . surely it wasn't him - it just couldn't be - couldn't be . . .  
  
"It is unknown what caused the fire, but officials will be trying to find the source. But how did only one die? Find out now -" the reporter continued.  
_Please don't be Shun,_ thought Takumi.  
The screen shifted to a policeman. "It seems that while all the other prisoners got out to do community service work, one managed to stay inside, skipping duty."  
_Please don't be Shun._  
"The fire appears to have been started somewhere near the room in which he had been staying in."  
_Please don't be Shun.  
The policeman continued his speech. "It appears that the fire blocked the only entrance out, as both windows had bars on the outside. And although no body has been found, it is almost certain that the boy who skipped duty, fourteen year-old Shun Oshiro, is dead."  
  
Next time on Digimon Genesis!  
Takumi faces the loss of a best friend. Now, not even Mr. Shale, his mother, or anyone else can help him through this uneasy challenge. Will Takumi have to face Shun's death, or, will he go the easier way, which will only invoke pain on his loved ones? Find out on the next Digimon Genesis:  
  
THE HEAT OF A H_


	16. The Heat of a Heart

__

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon. Akiyoshi Hongo does. That lucky dog!

Previously on Digimon Genesis, Takumi Hito attended a dance with Reina Yoshida. However, the dance was cut shot by an uninvited guest - a fox Digimon who killed Adamu Kitoaji. After the murder, the kids in the gym escaped. Takumi planned to pursue the fox and battle him, but his bike was missing! He was too chicken to chase the fox and walked home, when he was picked up by Mr. Shale, who helped him try and find the thief. Unfortunately, he didn't help much. It turned out that the security cameras had been mysteriously corrupted when the thief stole the bicycle. He returned home for some more bad news - the ONN (Obligatory News Network) reported that Shun Oshiro, Takumi's best friend, had been burned to death in a fire at the juvenile hall!

****

DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER VI

THE HEAT OF A HEART

"Life sucks, doesn't it?" Takumi asked his reflection in the mirror. A cold, unhappy face stared back at him. "Shun Oshiro dead. And it's all my fault. Think about it. If I had told him that there was a babysitter in that house that he - that we - that we _robbed_, he may have been able to escape and not go to juvenile hall. And if he had never gone to juvenile hall, that fire probably wouldn't have burned him to death." He took a comb from one of his drawers and started to brush his untidy hair. "What a dumb life." He chucked the comb across the room, oblivious to the fact that his hair was in the same messy order it had been when he had woken up. It landed on the side of his bed, near the window, but he didn't care. He didn't care about anything right now.

Takumi Hito was getting ready for school. Yesterday, he had been happily packing his bags and dressing, because the school dance would take place that night. The dance turned out to be ruined by a fox Digimon that killed a student named Adamu. Minutes later, his bike had been stolen and he hadn't been able to catch the thief because the stupid security cameras had not been working properly. Then he came home to find out that his best friend had died. He had taken Shun for granted, even when he was in juvenile hall. 

Friends are hard to come by, but easy to lose. That night, he had been extremely restless. He kept thinking of Shun, and jumping at noises coming from within his room. His mother had insisted that he sleep in her room that night because of the murder of the boy, but Takumi hadn't listened. The result: waking up extremely tired in the morning.

He came downstairs, tired and agitated. His mother greeted him warmly with a "good morning" but he didn't reply. Mrs. Hito didn't know that Shun Oshiro had been Takumi's best friend, and thus, she wouldn't have understood why he was so grumpy. Besides, he didn't feel like speaking to his mother today. She didn't understand him and he didn't understand her and there was no hope for the both of him.

"I didn't sleep well, either," she said quietly, after taking a brief sip of coffee. Obviously, she had noticed Takumi's tired face, but had assumed that he had been thinking of the murder yesterday. "Listen, I know you're all - worried about the murder yesterday. I am too."

Takumi grunted. He hated it when people thought they knew what he was thinking. In fact, the subject of the murder hadn't crossed his mind since he learned that Shun had died. Frankly, he didn't care if his whole class had been slaughtered by the fox Digimon, if only Shun were still alive . . .

"I'm going to be home this afternoon," she comforted him. Or, rather, tried to comfort him. Takumi didn't care if she wasn't home for the rest of the week. "Don't worry about a thing. It's me who should be worried -"

__

You're the only one who is worried, Takumi thought. He would have loved to say that to his mother and would have loved to say that nothing she said to him would comfort him, but he was polite, even at this difficult period of his life. He nodded at his mother's words, then fixed himself some breakfast, emptying nearly every cabinet, but not finding anything except oatmeal that looked as though it was a couple of years old.

"Is oatmeal the only thing we have in this house?" he complained to his mother, who didn't notice his irritant tone. He threw down an oatmeal box on the kitchen carpet and looked for a bowl.

"I'm afraid so," she replied, taking another sip of her coffee and folding her newspaper. Mrs. Hito now only read the newspaper because she hated most of the news groups on television. Now was the only time that Takumi wished that the television would be turned on. Even though the death of Shun was sad, he would have liked to hear more of it. Maybe there would be someone who cared about Shun who was talking about him right now. Takumi's mind drifted to the Oshiros, Shun's parents. He wondered how they felt . . . if he felt bad, he knew that they would. First he went to juvenile hall, then a fire started. He would have really liked to know what had started the fire, and what had resulted in the death of his friend . . .

"Well," Mrs. Hito began, folding her newspaper a final time and putting her mug on the counter, "I had best be going to work now. I need to work extra hard in the next few hours so I won't be behind. Taking an afternoon off is a big chunk out of my day." She gave a passionate glance at Takumi. "But I know you'll be alright. Just be careful, all right? Your father hated seeing me worried. Oh well. Good-bye then."

The woman grabbed her wallet, then gave Takumi a quick peck on the cheek, then left the house, leaving him alone. Takumi Hito was quite used to being alone, and usually would have preferred it, but this time he would have liked to talk to someone. And then it dawned on him -

Ryota. He was probably the only one who would understand his feelings. Well, besides Reina Yoshida, but she didn't know about Shun Oshiro, or any of the Digimon fiasco. But how he wished she knew about it. He could talk to her more, and they could understand each other much more . . . he would like to tell her all about his missing bike, and how he had tried to hunt the killer yesterday. But he couldn't. Ryota was probably the only one.

He got to the bus stop for school much more quickly than he normally would, fueled by the hope of finding someone who would be able to help and understand his problems. He found Ryota Surashi, another of his few friends, slouched on a bench with his backpack beside him. The other students were engrossed in a conversation about Shun, and how he had died. Others were speaking of the murder that had taken place yesterday. Some weren't speaking at all, they were sitting underneath a tree, looking greatly terrified. Takumi wasn't surprised over any of these chats.

He found a seat next to Ryota on the bench (almost sitting on a bird who had been standing there), and put his own book bag beside him.

"Hello," Takumi tried to greet, as warmly as possible, but because his insides were cold, so was his tone of voice. But Ryota seemed to understand Takumi's tone of voice and his sad expression.

"I suppose you heard the news?" Ryota asked quietly. He looked at Takumi thoughtfully.

"Yeah." Takumi looked down at his shoes. Conversations never went well when both participants were filled with grief.

"You - you don't need to feel bad about it. I should be the one feeling bad about it. I never was able to prove that I was his friend. I mean -"

"Shut up. It's not your fault."

"I guess you're right. But I guess we both kind of wished that we could have stopped Mr. Gakusha."

"What?" Mr. Gakusha worked at the local juvenile hall and gave terrible punishments, and he loved to smoke cigars.

"Didn't you hear? It was on the news this morning. They think that one of Mr. Gakusha's cigars hadn't been stamped out well enough and started the fire."

"So it was Mr. Gakusha who started the fire?"

"The news says so. Of course, Mr. Gakusha protested, as anybody would. Said he didn't start the fire. Said he was in his office the whole time, and the fire came from the another side of the hall. But that's just rubbish."

"Yeah. What a jerk." His sadness had turned into anger, hate, at Mr. Gakusha. Takumi began to hate him so much that for a split second, he started glowing red, and almost transformed, but Ryota caught him and was able to turn him back to normal. The other kids didn't see anything.

"Calm down," Ryota warned, tugging on Takumi's arm. "Here comes the bus. We can talk about it there."

They got on behind all of the other students, who were speaking in whispers. The grumpy bus driver seemed quite angry at the fact that they took so long to get on the bus.

"Hurry, hurry, I'm on a tight schedule!" the man roared. "Go on - take a seat in the back, and no talking!"

"Oh, shut up," Ryota groaned, but he obeyed the grumpy bus driver and took a seat near the back with Takumi, who immediately noticed how uncomfortable the seats felt.

"If only I could reverse time," Takumi sighed as the bus rolled on. He put his head back and slouched down in his seat.

"There's nothing you can do, so there's no use complaining about it." Ryota said this in a kind way, but he was looking out the window with an expression of deep concern on his face. Takumi watched the landscape - the trees, the grass, the long, winding fields, and the blue sky above. Everyone judged the world by it's beauty - on the outside. But on the inside was a horrible place filled with loneliness and grief. But the disguise of the Earth did not fool him. The world had been extremely hard on him, from the death of his father when he was very young to his days as a Digimon (and a murderer), and now the death of Shun. Takumi knew that nothing would ever be perfect, that peace was an illusion on Earth. Takumi had turned to Ryota for help over the latter. He wanted someone to talk to. But he hadn't supplied him with anything useful, anything that would make him feel better. Was there any hope for him?

The bus stopped when it reached the parking lot. The foreboding building where school took place stood before it. Takumi didn't want to go inside. He wanted to stay on the bus, and fall asleep. Maybe he'd awake somewhere else, in a different place, a better world than this one . . . he didn't want to go to the loud, noisy school. He didn't want to take classes. He didn't want to hear Miss Andrews' attempts to make him become a good student, or Mrs. Questus' constant babble about her stupid life. He didn't want to speak to Mr. Shale. He didn't want to speak to anyone at all, not even Reina Yoshida, the girl of his dreams. Well, actually, he did. But he didn't think she would be able to help him. Ryota hadn't been any help at all. He hadn't sympathized with him. And Reina wouldn't even understand why Shun was Takumi's friend, just like yesterday when she didn't understand why he was friends with Ryota. Friendships were a very powerful thing for Takumi. Some took them for granted, but not him . . . friends were much too valuable.

But he wished there was some way for Reina to understand . . . if only she knew about the Digimon . . . _if only she was a Digimon_. They would be closer than ever . . . 

Unfortunately, she didn't know about Digimon and she certainly wasn't one, but Takumi knew that it would have to be her, and only her that would be able to help him out of this terrible mess. And if she couldn't help him . . . well, then he would move on to his second plan.

Takumi was the last person to get off the bus, taking his time. His head was down as he walked by the bus driver and went down the steps.

"You've gotta be quicker than that!" the grumpy bus driver shouted at him.

Takumi's foot touched the sidewalk. He turned back and faced the bus driver.

"I'll go at whatever pace I feel like!" Takumi snarled back, quite unlike himself.

The bus driver looked surprised, as though he hadn't expected to be countered. He shut the bus doors angrily and Takumi swore that as the bus disappeared down the road, that he had shook his fist.

"Jerk," he muttered, hoping Ryota had witnessed the argument. But he had gone.

Takumi shook his head. He didn't need Ryota, and Ryota obviously didn't need him.

"Hey, Takumi!"

He spun around. Reina?

No. It was someone far less welcome - Miss Andrews.

"How are you?" she asked, tucking a textbook under her arms. "So good to see you out here today. I thought some kids would be too chicken to come to school today!" She let out a high, fake laugh.

Takumi grumbled. He and Ryota hadn't been the only ones who had heard about Shun's death. Miss Andrews had probably been waiting on the sidewalk until he got off the bus. They hadn't met by coincidence. His teacher was going to guide them to the classroom, possibly congratulating Takumi on making progress on his animal project, or something stupid like that. But she wasn't doing this because she wanted to cheer him up. She was doing this because she thought that Takumi behaved mysteriously like Shun, and was worried that he would become exactly like him, robbing a house and going to juvenile hall. Because of the death of Shun, she was probably more worried about him than ever before.

They went inside and down the hall, passing a burly policeman as they entered. Miss Andrews asked very stupid questions as they walked, and then talked about the weather. They passed several people on the way to the classroom (which made Takumi go red), including Chiaki, who was being yelled at for dumping some of his soggy cereal into the water fountain and then trying to get people to believe that he barfed in it, as well as Mr. Shale, who was asking Mr. Mes to get a drink from Mrs. Falle's office, and (to his embarrassment), Reina Yoshida, who waved to him.

"Oh! Was Reina your partner for the dance?" Miss Andrews asked.

"Um - yes."

"Well, you know who my partner was? Oh look, there he is now!" At this point, Miss Andrews left Takumi and went to meet Mr. Akimoto, who was carrying a huge desk.

"Need help with that, Satoshi?" Miss Andrews asked him, blushing furiously, oblivious to the fact that she was blocking the entranceway.

"No -" Mr. Akimoto gasped, and looked as though he wanted to bash Miss Andrews on the head with the desk.

While the gym teacher tried his best to cross the entranceway blocked by Miss Andrews, Takumi snuck into the classroom and found his seat next to Masami, who looked extremely pale.

"Hello," Takumi greeted, not in a very warm voice.

Masami Okabe jumped and spun around in his seat. Upon seeing Takumi, he breathed heavily and put his hand over his chest.

"Gosh, don't scare me like that!" he exclaimed.

"Worried about the fox Digimon?"

"The _what?"_

"I mean - worried about the fox, aren't you?" 

He had almost let it slip . . . he mustn't do that again . . .

"Yeah," Masami said, prodding up his thick glasses. "There's nothing wrong, is there, being scared of a huge fox?" He looked nervously at the desk in front of him. "Adamu had no idea what he was dealing with. He was just really, really unlucky. And have you heard?" He jumped in his seat again, frantic. "There are dragons out there!"

"Yeah, right," Takumi replied, unenthusiastically, putting his head down in his arms and placing them on the desk.

__

Soon they'll know, Takumi thought. _If the fox turns up again, as well as some other Digimon, then everyone will know. They'll connect it somehow . . . they'll find out about them . . . about _us . . . He sighed in his arms. Shun used to be there . . . only about three weeks ago, Shun Oshiro had been at East Yokohama Middle School, where Takumi was now. And now . . . he was dead . . . dead. Suddenly, he felt more alone, more afraid . . . he looked around the room. Dozens of students were talking to each other. And yet, Takumi was all alone . . . all alone . . . wouldn't someone be able to help him, to guide him out of this horrible pain? There had to be someone . . .

Yes. Mr. Shale, the counselor.

Unfortunately, Takumi didn't use this hope very wisely.

He exited out of the classroom when it was time to go, and surprisingly he met his counselor in the hallway.

"Ah, Takumi," he said, beaming. "Good to see you. Good, good, good." He must have not regarded the expression of sadness on his patient's face. "It's a good thing I've met you here. My office has switched with Mr. Akimoto's."

"What?"

"Oh, it's nothing, really. Mr. Akimoto wanted a classroom - er - away from the scene of the murder." A very soft expression filled his face, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "So we've switched offices. From now on, go to the gym. Very fortunate that I was able to meet you here. Quite a few teachers have forgotten about the switch. It was only this morning that I received a very thought-provoking love letter from Miss Andrews. She was quite embarrassed, you see, but luckily it was returned to it's rightful heir."

They walked together to behind the gym, to where Mr. Shale's new office was (they carefully took a little detour, avoiding the scene of the murder).

"How are they going to get to gym class?" Takumi asked interested. He would feel quite awkward, having gym class where a murder had been committed . . .

"They're not. They're going outside."

Takumi had had to go outside yesterday in gym class because they had been getting ready for the dance. He was quite thankful that he was not attending his today, because it was extremely hot outside. But this didn't make him feel much better. Shun was still in his thoughts, but Shun was also dead.

Mr. Shale's new office turned out to be an almost exact clone of the last. Papers were already scattered messily on his desk. A small amount of sun came in from the windows. A small chair awaited Takumi. He sat in it, and Mr. Shale sat behind his new desk. A sign on it read 'SATOSHI AKIMOTO'.

"Darn, I knew there was something we forgot," the counselor said softly. "Oh well. It doesn't matter." He carefully flung the sign (as well as his numerous papers) off his desk. The same disorderly pile now sat on the floor. "So," he asked, "have you found the guy 

who stole your bike?"

"Not a trace." Takumi looked up at the ceiling and narrowed his eyes. If life was perfect, Shun Oshiro would still be alive, he wouldn't be a Digimon, and the jerk who stole his prized bicycle would be found and punished. Takumi had his bicycle back, of course, but still, he wanted to know what lowly person would steal someone's bike.

Mr. Shale sighed. "Same here," he said. "Haven't found the fox yet. I'm a bit worried. If the fox strikes again . . ."  
A look of worry crossed his sober, but kindly, face.

"Well," Mr. Shale said, turning to his patient, Takumi. "Let's not talk about that, alright? Let's just pretend that nothing happened. It's not a counselor's job to worry about that sort of thing."

The conference began. Takumi wanted so badly to tell Mr. Shale of his feelings about Shun's death. But, like I said earlier, he didn't use his hope wisely. When Mr. Shale asked him to tell him whatever he wanted to, he said nothing.

"Now, Takumi," he warned. "I'm only staying until the end of July. If you want to tell me -"

"What? What do you mean, you're staying only until the end of this year?"

"Like I said. I've found another job. I'm going to stop my work as a counselor at the end July, and then I'll be working at a new place. So, if you want to tell me something - anything - you should tell me now."

Takumi's mind swam. Should he tell him about being a Digimon? About Shun? About what he thought of his life, and what he planned to do at the end of the day if something didn't help him?

"No," Takumi lied. "There isn't anything."

The rest of the conference didn't go so well, either. Having nothing much to talk about, Mr. Shale began to teach the basics on fractions, which Takumi was having a lot of trouble on, but the counselor "beefed it up" as he expressed it, to make it seem more fun.

But Takumi drew a conclusion: Nothing can make mathematics fun, especially when you are down because a close friend has died.

The conference was about as boring as a math lesson.

Before it was time to go, Mr. Shale reminded him that a day from now, he would have to make up the test. Takumi grumbled. _One more thing to worry about_, he thought as he disappeared down the hall. He passed Mr. Akimoto's new office on the way there and was about to turn down the corridor to where his classes were located when suddenly, he heard a low laugh from behind him. He turned around.

There, in front of Mr. Akimoto's new office, was Mr. Mes. He was holding something - a drink - no - it looked more like a _potion_.

Something clicked in Takumi's mind.

He hid behind a wall and watched the janitor.

"Yes," the janitor said quietly, setting a green, bubbling potion on a small desk next to the door. "Enjoy." He cackled silently. Mr. Mes was about to leave, then took a last glance at the bubbling potion. "Yuck," he muttered, then strode off in disgust.

Takumi narrowed his eyes at the suspicious janitor as he disappeared into a nearby room. He stood up from his hiding place.

Could it be?

Quietly, he slipped towards the desk onto which the potion sat. He looked inside of it. Bubbles emitted from the slime. Could it really be -?

No doubt about it. Even though he had only seen it in dreams, even though it had been only a blur, he felt sure that this was the drink that turned humans into Digimon. He himself had taken a drink from it and gained the powers to transform into Hiamon. Quiz, Search, Shadow, and Stone - could Mr. Mes be one of them?

He looked at a blue door not too far from him. Mr. Mes had entered through that door. He had to keep an eye on him . . .

He crept closer to the door and hid underneath a desk by the door. He had never been in this room before. Was it the teacher's lounge? No, the teacher's lounge was located on an entirely different floor.

He put his ear to the keyhole and listened. Two people were inside.

"So - Mes - were you able to find who you needed?"

"I've tried, sir, I assure you, I've tried." That was Mr. Mes, the janitor.

"Any failures?"

"There is one."

"Who?"

"Shun Oshiro."

"Shun Oshiro? The one who died yesterday?" Mr. Mes's boss seemed quite agitated.

"Yes . . . I'm afraid so . . ."

"That's too bad. He was a good one, too."

"Are you kidding? He barely tried!" the janitor exclaimed. "Too much rubbish was in his little head, if you ask me . . ."

"Still . . . he's better than some of your other _selections_ . . ."

"I assure you, we'll knock everyone out of the list this year! This year - perfect!"

"Not the way you're going, my slippery friend. It seems to me that you are not focusing on what you need to be focusing on. You've had experience in this before, haven't you?"

"Of course sir - of course! You should have seen me -"

"I don't know if I can believe you. Think about it, Mes . . . you've got a month. A month. A month is nothing."

"Please, sir, I can select the best -"

"Combinations, Mes, combinations - are you forgetting the combinations? Don't you know what differs the good from the bad? I'm sure you don't want to lose this little job of yours. I hear that you're not very happy with your pay this year . . ."

"I - I can do it!"

"Can you? Then you had better get with the program, Mes. I've sacrificed too much for this. Do not fail. I promise you, Okii, succeed . . . and the gold will be ours . . . and I imagine you'll be getting a little promotion . . . you know, if it weren't that I thought you were experienced, I'd say you were just in it for the money."

"The money means nothing to me! Only to serve you - to help you -"

"If you want to help me, then you'll find the ones, Okii - find the ones with talent, and turn them into stars . . . do you understand?"

"Stars, of course! Anything you say, sir!"

"Very well," Mes's boss said in finality. Someone rose from their chair.

Takumi's mind swam. What would he do if he was caught, hiding under a desk, overhearing a very important conversation?  
He heard footsteps. What would he do?  
He turned the desk quietly on it's side. Hopefully the top of the table would shield him from view. He would just have to hope that Mr. Mes and his boss went the way he wanted them to go . . .

The door opened. Mr. Mes stepped out, followed by a balding man with a stern, unkindly face. They didn't talk as they disappeared down the hall. They hadn't even noticed the desk, which was on it's side.

Takumi exhaled a sigh of relief. "That was close," he said to himself. He eyed the green, still bubbling potion. He got to his feet, making sure that Mr. Mes and his boss (whoever he was) had disappeared down the corridor. Then he snatched the potion from the desk. He looked at the closed door in front of him. Mr. Akimoto's new office . . . was Mr. Mes and his boss a member of the Shadow Gang? Why had they put the potion on the desk outside Mr. Akimoto's room? What was Mr. Mes's goal, as well as his boss's? Had they been trying to turn Mr. Akimoto into a Digimon? Takumi frowned, puzzled, at the closed door. He would have to keep an eye on both Mr. Mes _and_ Mr. Akimoto . . . and he would have to inform Ryota as soon as possible.

There seemed to be a lid on the potion. Takumi snapped it shut. What did this bottle contain, and what Digimon would it turn a human into? The potion stopped bubbling. Takumi put it safely in his pocket, then disappeared down the corridor and to Miss Andrews' classroom.

* * *

The time before lunch seemed to last forever. Takumi came back to find the students working on their animal projects, which were due in about a week. Afterwards, he had Keyboarding with Mrs. Questus after bumping (literally) into Mr. Shale as he ran down the hall. Mrs. Questus was in her usual mood and was talking about her dull life as though the fox attack had never happened. Their class work was to type a letter explaining Mrs. Questus' cousin's nephew's daughter's friend's neighbor, who had survived a hazardous experience with a wild bull and had amazingly received no injury.

Finally it was lunch time in the cafeteria, where broccoli bits and ravioli rice was being served. Takumi found his seat by Ryota and explained what he had overheard, and how he suspected Mr. Mes. He took the potion from his pocket as proof.

"That's definitely it," Ryota said, through bites of his napkin, "just like from the dream. I wonder what would happen if I drank it, since I already Kibamon. Would I become a different Digimon, or a combination of the two, or would I just remain Kibamon? I don't know."

  
"Don't drink it," Takumi warned. "You might not be able to control it, or something."

"Relax!" Ryota assured. "I'm not going to drink it."

Takumi looked outside the cafeteria window. If only Shun was there. They would be a step closer to releasing him from juvenile hall - freedom, like he had illustrated in one of his paintings - hope.

__

But he is released from juvenile hall, thought Takumi sadly. _He's dead. If only I had found this sooner._ He looked outside again, at the green trees and the sun high in the sky. Now, his findings were a bit pointless. It wouldn't matter if he turned in the Shadow Gang. Shun wouldn't come back. And as long as Shun was dead, Takumi would be sad. But he knew he wouldn't be sad for long.

* * *  
  
The school day had ended. Takumi threw off his heavy book bag. It landed on the floor with a loud _PLOP._

"Mom!" he shouted. If she was home, he wouldn't be able to carry out his plan. No answer.

"Mom!" he shouted again.

Still, no answer.

"Mom!" he shouted again.

He waited for a moment, but no one answered back. He then noticed a small note on the refrigerator.

__

Takumi, it read. _I know I said I would be home this afternoon, and I was until around two. There are no news reports of deaths or anything like that so I'm going to be staying at the office a little longer than expected. I'll get home at around eight. Please understand, Takumi. Help yourself to something in the fridge (that school food doesn't sound too good to me). Love, your mom._

Takumi groaned. Even though he needed his mom out of the house to carry out the plan, he wanted to say a final good-bye to her. But it wouldn't matter . . .

He pulled the handle of the fridge.

"Should I have a last meal?" he asked himself. But there was nothing in the fridge, except for some fruits that he supposed his mom had brought home. He wanted to buy something to eat, but then he would just have to delay the freedom. He turned away from the refrigerator, shutting it.

He reached for a drawer and opened it. This drawer was where his mom kept all of the cooking utensils. He looked for what he needed. Fork, spoon, knife - no, that one was plastic, he would need a larger knife than that. He fumbled with the utensils with a while, until he found what he needed. A big knife. This would do all he needed.

But where?

He held the knife up to his chest. That would be painful . . . he then tried the head. But that one seemed painful, too. Perhaps the leg, or the arm? No . . . it would take a long time, and it would hurt bad . . . was there a painless way? He put the knife down.

Ideas after ideas filled his mind. Jumping from a great height? No, that would be a most frightful way to die . . . was there a painless way? Freezing to death? No . . . Burning to death wasn't a very nice way . . . drowning? No . . . that was also painful . . . probably the most painful . . . he shivered at the very thought. And then he thought . . . what would his mother say? What about Ryota, and Reina, and his teachers? What would they say about his attempts to commit suicide?

What would be a way to make it look accidental, but was also painless?  
Suffocation? Yes . . . maybe they would think he had went to sleep, slipped under the sheets . . . and then just died . . . suffocated . . . Even though he didn't want to do it, it seemed like the best way . . .

He began his way up the stairs to carry out his plan . . .

. . . and then screamed in terror.

"Oh my gosh!" he screamed in panic. "How are you - are you?"

A figure stood in front of him, a few steps ahead. "Don't worry," it spoke.

"No - are you - who - I mean -" Takumi didn't know what to say. This couldn't be, and yet - and yet - he was standing right in front of him. Finally, he was able to get his voice back, take a long breath, and calm down.

"Are you a ghost?" he asked, trying to be as calm as possible, though his instincts were to run.

"I'm not a ghost," the figure said simply. He put a plump hand on the rail. "I'm real. And I need to stay with you, Takumi. I'm Shun Oshiro."

"How -" Takumi managed to ask.

"Let's go to your room," Shun said. "That's where I've been hiding."

  
"Hiding?" Takumi asked, still amazed as they trudged up the stairs. "I mean - how long - how -"

"Let me explain."

They both plopped on the bed. Takumi could not believe this. He was sitting next to his best friend - his _dead_ best friend - on his bed.

"What happened?" Takumi managed to ask. "How did you - I mean - are you alive?"

"I'm alive," Shun said impatiently, putting a finger on his exhausted forehead and scratching it.

"Tell me how -"

"I'm getting to that. You see, Takumi, when all the other kids at the hall were doing their community service work, I stayed in my room. Don't worry, I did extra service work earlier, to make up for it. You see, I had this planned."

"You _planned_ this?"

"Of course. After I started the fire -"

"_You_ started the fire? But the news said Mr. Gakusha had started the fire, and you had died . . ."

"Did they?" Shun said sympathetically. "Poor Mr. Gakusha. I suppose we'll be able to clear him after this whole mess is over."

"But - how did you live if you started the fire?"

"Hey - are you forgetting something here? I'm a Digimon too, you know. I can transform into Mekanorimon, remember? Anyway, I just transformed, fired a beam at Hawk's bed, which started a huge fire. Then I broke the bars on the window and got out easily, faking my death."

"Whoa," Takumi said aloud. "So . . . how did you get here . . . ?"

"I've been here, Takumi, I've been here. Anyway, I faked my death, then traveled over to your house and hid in your closet."

And then he remembered - all those strange sounds that had come from his closet - Shun had been in there . . .

"Why didn't you call me?" Takumi asked. "I mean - if you had just come out -"

"I was about to," Shun explained. "But unfortunately, your mom came on several occasions, and I wasn't able to talk to you until now. Your mom came home this afternoon, and she thought she heard a noise in her closet. She was about to look inside, but then she thought she heard a door slam. It was really close."

But Takumi didn't care if it was close or not. He had the thrill of seeing his friend again, alive and well. He didn't need to do what he had planned to do, for Shun's death was the reason he had tried to kill himself. Even though earlier he had been very sad, now he was happy - probably the happiest he had ever been in his life. And now, his findings about Mr. Mes and his boss weren't useless at all - after he put the Shadow Gang to justice, Shun would be free. And he would, too - Takumi could lead a normal life again.

"Takumi," Shun said softly, "I need a place to say. To live. Please - Takumi - may I stay at your house, hidden in your closet or wherever, for as long as it takes for us to find the Shadow Gang?"

He nodded. He didn't care. He wanted to tell Shun Oshiro the good news - about the findings of Mr. Mes and his boss.

After he had calmed down a bit from seeing his supposed dead best friend alive, Takumi explained everything that Shun had missed: about the murder of the boy committed by the fox Digimon, how he had searched for it in the forest, how his bike had been stolen, how he had found out about Mr. Mes, and how he assumed that the janitor wanted to turn Mr. Akimoto into a Digimon.

"He's definitely suspicious," he concluded. "Well - you'll just have to call Ryota. We can keep an eye on Mr. Akimoto and Mr. Mes. We'll learn more about him, and about his little friends, round up the Shadow Gang, and bring them down. You with me?"

"I'm with you!" Takumi exclaimed, shaking hands with Shun. He eyed the green potion which he had put on his desk. Soon, Shun would be free, and their lives would return to normal.

__

Next time on Digimon Genesis! After the group has figured out that Shun is alive, Takumi and Ryota hunt for clues at their school, revolving around Mr. Mes and his mysterious boss. Meanwhile, Shun stays alone, hidden away at Takumi's house. Will they learn more on the Shadow Gang and bring them to justice? Will Shun be found? The saga continues on the next Digimon Genesis:  
  
LOVE POTION

And . . . coming soon! Next Digimon Genesis Special Chapter! Takumi, Ryota, Miho, Shun, Naoki, and Yuka are invited to a tournament - that may result in death! Also meet a new digital human - but is he good, or evil? The group must team up when two of their members are kidnapped, and use the powers of the Dragon Stones to transform into superpower Digimon! All this and more in Digimon Genesis Special Chapter 1:  
  
REVENGE OF THE DRAGON


	17. Love Potion

__

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon. You happy? I asked you, ARE YOU HAPPY!? This is the eighteenth disclaimer! Why, if I make another one, I'll scream! Scream, I tell you, scream! HAHAHA!

Previously on Digimon Genesis! Stuff happened! More stuff happened! Even more stuff happened afterwards! Uh oh! Even more stuff happened! And guess who might be a member of the stuff? Stuff, stuff! More stuff happened afterwards, and Takumi almost did some stuff to him, but got cheered up when his friend Stuff came over and stuffed him with stuff! More stuff! Even more stuff! Lots more stuff! Stuff now on the next Digimon Genesis!

****

DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER XVII

LOVE POTION

"Ouch!"  


The dim light from the window hurt Takumi Hito's eyes. He glanced at his alarm clock, eyes almost opened. 6:34.

"Is it morning already?" he asked himself, moaning and rubbing his eyes. He rolled over and moaned loudly. He couldn't be sure if it was morning already, he had been half asleep when he had looked at the time. But he didn't care. His only thoughts were going back to sleep again, but he found it quite hard now that he was awake. "Got to - get - back - asleep," he told himself, jamming his pillow on his head.

"Do you talk in your sleep _every_ morning?" an exhausted voice from below his bed asked.

Takumi bolted upright in his bed, then somehow found himself on the floor beside his bed. He looked under it. It seemed silly now, but could those stories of a monster under the bed be true? He took a few steps back and soon found himself looking around the room and breathing hard into his mirror.

"Well?" said the sleepy voice again, an impatient tap on his bed.

Takumi saw, on the floor beside his bed, a plump boy that was about his age with untidy hair, rising from his own bed, a sleeping bag.

"Gosh, you scared me!" Takumi whispered, remembering at last. "I forgot all about it - that you were here and all -"  


"You scared me," admitted the plump boy, who stood up. His name was Shun Oshiro. "I don't know about you, but being in a room with someone who talks to themselves in their sleep is creepy. Were you dreaming, or something?"

"No," Takumi said, trying his best to be truthful. _He_ didn't know if he had been dreaming, for all he knew he had been sleepwalking. Most of the dreams he had during the night he couldn't remember until a few weeks (or sometimes months) later.

"I don't believe you," Shun grinned. "You were probably dreaming about that girl you like - what's her name? Reina, or something like that -"  


"How do you know about Reina?" Takumi asked, a trifle embarrassed.

Shun only grinned some more. "I hear things," he said. "I'm not stupid, like everyone says I am. Ryota is always saying how you always go on and on about her."  


"Ryota?"

"Yep. He visited me quite a few times when I was in juvenile hall, saying he was sorry about being mean to me."  


"Oh. Right."  


"Hey, he still goes to East Yokohama Middle, doesn't he?"  


"Maybe you _are _stupid," Takumi rolled his eyes, changing into his shorts. "The school year hasn't ended yet, and won't end for a _long_ time. And he wouldn't be visiting your hall if he had moved away, now, would he?"  


"You never can tell," Shun muttered. "Just say hi to him for me, alright? Tell him I'm still alive, and stuff."  


"He'll get a kick out of that," laughed Takumi, changing into an orange shirt. "He probably won't believe me, and laugh about it."

Shun shrugged. "You never can tell."  


"I'll be sure to tell him that the reason my bedroom smells so much is because you're here. Don't you realize that you're still in your juvenile hall clothes?"  


The plump boy looked down at his dirty clothes and shrugged again. "I don't know," he said, his hands in his pockets, "but perhaps you'll be kind enough to lend me some."  


"No way!" Takumi argued, throwing his pajamas at him. "Plus," he added, becoming more humorous, "you'd probably break them all. They're way to small for you. You'd have to borrow my mom's."

Shun laughed good-naturedly. "Or your dad's."

Takumi's grin faded. "My dad died years and years ago."

Shun looked regretful. "Oh." He gazed down at his shoes. "Sorry."

Had it not been for the fact that Shun was Takumi's best friend, and the fact that he hadn't known about his father's death, he would have ordered Shun out of the house, for even though he didn't remember his dad, he hated it when people used the term 'dad' casually. _They_ were lucky enough to have fathers. He didn't.

"That's alright," Takumi apologized. "I didn't tell you. You didn't know . . ."  


"No - I'm sorry."  


The two stared at each other for a while, sympathy in their eyes. Suddenly, Takumi turned and left the room, his book bag in his arms, leaving Shun in a very awkward position.

"Where should I stay?" Shun asked his friend, who had his back turned to him.

"Places," was the cold reply. The figure quickened down the steps, and Shun could hear Takumi's footsteps in the kitchen, as well as the voice of Mrs. Hito. Shun sighed, then opened the closet door and stepped inside, very much hoping that Takumi's mother wouldn't stumble upon him during the day. But Shun didn't feel safe. Even though he had apologized for making a reference to Takumi's father, he felt as though they were still mad at each other, which made him feel upset and out-of-place. Suddenly his hiding place, the closet, seemed like it was not a good place to be after all.

Meanwhile, Takumi arrived downstairs to hear his mother's agitated voice.

"I don't know about you," she said, taking a sip of her coffee as she folded the newspaper, "but I don't feel safe in a plane anymore. Not that I always have felt safe in a plane . . ." She gazed at her tired son. "But this has made it worse. Just yesterday, the army almost shot down what they _thought _was an unidentified object. It turned out to be an airplane. I swear, just because a couple of half-wits saw dragons . . ."  


"It was just one dragon," her brown-eyed son automatically corrected.

"Whatever," shrugged Mrs. Hito, which caused her to spill coffee on her night dress. "I just wish the army would be a bit more careful about what they shoot down." Her own brown eyes met Takumi's. "I'm always worried about you, you know." She folded her newspaper and then put her head down.

"Don't worry about me," said Takumi. "I'll be safe - at school."  


Takumi's mother rolled her eyes in reply. "Yes, I'm sure, with Mrs. Falle and a killer fox."

He would have liked to tell her that he could transform into Hiamon and probably kill the fox himself, but he didn't for obvious reasons. Instead, he shared in her concern.

"I'll be careful," he assured, "don't worry about me. I was fine yesterday, right?"

Her eyes suddenly narrowed, stern and cold. "So was your father," she said in a menacing voice, putting down her coffee pot. "You know, I always thought that he would be safe as a doctor." She stood up from the table, her chair making a scratch on the floor. "One day he was asked to go on a trip to cure a disease in Africa. He was to be home in a few weeks. It was normal for him to be called on such business trips. Before he left, we hugged and kissed at the airport. We kept in contact, on the plane, when he arrived in Africa and told me about the places he was staying in - and then came his final call. He said that he had just seen some patients with Ebola. He told he how horrible it was, how sad the patients were, and the pain they were suffering. He told me about someone had just died of it. We talked over it, and he said it would take a miracle to treat it. His final phone call. We hung up, said good-bye, and he also said that he would be coming home in a few weeks. But he didn't, Takumi. He died from the disease he was sent to cure. He and his four friends."  


He could tell that his mother's eyes were beginning to water. Soon she would shed tears. He felt it best for him to set out for school before she exploded.

Already she began to blow her nose with a tissue. "Go," she prompted, and then louder:  


"GO!"

Takumi, wishing to not cause her any distress, left the scene and exited out the door, feeling just as awkward outside as Shun was inside a closet. He sighed and looked up at the trees, which were blowing in the wind. The morning had not been a good start for him. Being mad at Shun, then making his mother feel uncomfortable . . . it was as though it was yesterday all over again. But at least there was a bright side to it - telling Ryota about Shun's "death". Of course, he would have to make sure that no other student heard him and to do it as clever as possible . . .

He walked slowly to the bus stop, almost missing it he was so deep in his thoughts. He wondered what Ryota would say. Would he believe him?  


Takumi tried his best to keep his face straight. He grinned awkwardly at Ryota, who sat on his usual spot, on a bench. A bird was pecking on an earthworm near his leg.

"Hello," grinned Takumi, dropping his heavy book bag on the bench beside him and taking a short breath.

"Hi," said Ryota, without enthusiasm. "Have you - uh - got over the - uh -"  


"The what?"  


"The death of Shun, of course. I still feel guilty about it, but I'm just wondering . . ."  


"Ryota, Shun's alive."

His friend reached over to his foot, stretching. "Yeah, right," he said simply, opening his book bag and pulling out his blue binder. He opened it and tore out a paper. "Listen. I need to do some extra homework. I'm sad about Shun's death too, but you can't just pretend that he's alive. It's not the same, and it won't bring him back."  


"There's no need to bring him back. _He's alive."_

Takumi's friend looked into his eyes, as though testing to see if he was completely truthful . . .

Ryota Surashi was a very - experienced - teen. If people were lying, he could easily tell, just by looking at their eyes, and hearing their voice - a liar would have either a very hard time speaking, or an extremely easy time speaking. If Takumi was truthful, then his voice would have to be at a normal level, and his eyes - they would tell all. Even if a person is lying, their eyes will give them away. Takumi's eyes matched his voice . . . he was being truthful . . . he had passed the test.

"How can he be alive?" Ryota asked. The next step in determining a liar was to eventually trap them into a corner . . .

"Ryota, he faked his death!" Takumi shouted, so loud that several other kids at the bus stop could hear him. He lowered his voice so that nobody would be suspicious, then said:  


"He faked his death - he set fire to the juvenile hall as a Digimon. Then he escaped and traveled to my house. He's been hiding in my closet all this time. We just met each other yesterday. Ryota, he's alive, and he's hiding in my house right now!"

His friend leaned back against the bench, analyzing his words and studying his face. The bird beside him flew away, after much happy chirping.

While Ryota studied Takumi, he studied the bird - it seemed to be _spying_ on them.

_No, _thought Takumi, _that's ridiculous._ He put the bird out of his thoughts for the time being. However, Ryota still leaned on the bench, looking at Takumi's face carefully.

_If he is lying_, he thought, _then he'll burst out laughing any second. Still . . . it's strange, it's not like him to make a joke as sick as that . . ._

Takumi still looked pleading.

"Alright," said Ryota, making his decision, "I believe you."

His brown haired friend could have jumped for joy. For a split second, he had imagined that Ryota would _never_ believe him . . . he laughed at this, this thought was almost ridiculous on thinking that the bird had been spying on them.

"Great," laughed Takumi. "Now . . ." he began, turning serious, "you remember our . . . our mission, right?"  


"Right," reassured Ryota, who put his hands in his lap and stood up, knocking his binder down to the sidewalk. 

"I watch Mes . . ."  


"And I'll keep an eye on Akimoto."

"Yeah," agreed his chum, "but how are we going to do that? I mean, we have classes and stuff . . ."  
"Whoever said that _we_ were going to do the watching?"  


***

They didn't have to do any watching that day.

"I really don't think this is a very good idea," observed Takumi, for once in his life being a bit sensible than the air-headed yet determined Ryota. He stepped over some boxes in the office. "I mean, what if Mrs. Falle or some other teacher caught us in here? We could be suspended . . . vandalism . . ."

Takumi and Ryota had gotten off the bus together, then dashed to the teacher's longue, even thought it was too early to be in the building. Their plans were to relocate a security camera to the teacher's lounge, where Mr. Mes and his mysterious boss had been talking the day previous. Later, they would sneak into the principal's office and grab a security tape and view them when they got home. For Takumi, it was "extremely risky" but for Ryota it was just "another walk in the woods".

"Oh please," Ryota scoffed, tucking the security camera under his arms. "No one will catch us in here . . . _we'll _be the ones doing the catching . . ."

"I suppose," shrugged Takumi, tripping over a box, "but I just don't like it. I mean, we would have to explain why we were here, and, well, we're really doing . . . I don't know, we're creeping into the school before it starts, we're unhooking a security camera and putting it into a different place, if we're caught, we'll . . ."  


Ryota Surashi placed the security camera on a table nearby. He turned to Takumi, his eyes filled with calmness. "Listen," he said clearly, "remember what Shun did for us? He sacrificed his life so we could spare other lives. We're doing evil to stop an even greater evil. And I think, if you're doing evil to stop a greater evil, it all evens out . . . but we're Digimon, right? And it's our duty to make sure that everyone will come out all right."  


Takumi nodded in the darkness of the teacher's lounge. Ryota's words calmed him, and never again that day did he feel guilty for committing an act of crime. Still, he was not so sure that they could get away with it . . .

"How are you supposed to get the security camera to work in here?"  
"Easy," was the casual reply, "my dad works with electronics, and he's taught me everything he knows, just about . . . it'll be easy . . . see this outlet? - Well, I just disconnect this plug . . . now, should I switch it with their coffee machine - no, we don't want grumpy teachers . . . ah . . ." He disconnected a plug, "There goes your air condition. But don't worry teachers, it's only a record high today . . . I hope you don't mind having a security camera in this room, watching your every move . . ." Ryota snickered, then grinned at Takumi, who tried his best to grin back, despite the fact that he knew that any second the bell would ring and students would come flooding in, as well as the teachers, who might find them in their lounge . . .

"Alright then," spoke Ryota, clapping his hands and hearing the buzz of the security camera. "Come on, let's go! If the security camera spots us, we're in for it!"

They dashed out of the lounge, now free from sight of that dreadful, yet sometimes friendly, security camera . . . or so they thought.

_RING._

It was the bell.

Already the doors of East Yokohama Middle School opened.

"Run!" warned Ryota. "If they spot us, we're done for!"

The two ran down the hall for a bit, then ducking under a table, similar to the one which Takumi had ducked under just the other day to eavesdrop on Mes' conversation with his most mysterious boss.

Soon, kids ran past, not because they didn't want to be spotted, but because they wanted to get to their lockers, get to homeroom, or go outside and play soccer before the bell for first period rang.

After no less than thirty kids darted past the table under which they were hiding, Takumi and Ryota stood up. They joined a crowd of foreign students and talked to one another along the way.

"So you've got the whole Akimoto situation covered?" Takumi asked.

"Right. I have him today, and we're going outside. There's a security camera already placed outside for the whole day, so we'll be fine. But we must sneak into Mrs. Falle's office before dark - and grab those tapes."  


"Right. Then we'll find -"  


"Why, hello, boys," greeted a booming voice behind him. The boys had been talking in silence, so the voice seemed ten times louder than usual.

The boys turned around swiftly. It was Satoshi Akimoto.

"Hello," he greeted, beaming. "Must I remind you, Mr. Hito, and Mr. Surashi, that we aren't to be_ running_ in the halls at this unforgivable hour of the morning. You need to get to class, not holding races in the hallway."  


"That's right!" said another voice, a woman's voice, high-pitched and excited. It was Miss Andrews.

Mr. Akimoto began to break his own rule by dashing down the hallway, in complete terror of being near Miss Andrews again. He could not forgive her for making him dance in front of a group of sixth graders, and the hair-raising valentine that he had received yesterday from her was downright scary. Apparently, her crush on him had turned into something a bit more than that, and he was in danger of being involved in a relationship which he would have no say in.

"Bye, Mr. Akimoto," grunted Ryota. He turned to Takumi. "I don't know why in the world Mes would want to turn him into a Digimon."  


"Well, if he could, he would probably use his powers to fly away from Miss Andrews," laughed his friend.

But no transformations occurred during the school day. It was perfectly normal, despite the fact that it was not normal at all, of course. Takumi was excused to the guidance counselor's office, where they talked for a bit, then -

"Now, Takumi, you remember what I told you would happen today?"

His patient could have jumped out of his seat and his head would have hit the ceiling of the tiny classroom. He had forgotten all about it . . . _the math test._ His whole counseling with Mr. Shale had led up to this, to help him keep back on track, and _he forgot all about it_. He had been so excited with seeing Shun alive - he wished once again, and not for the last time, that he could reverse time!  


"Right," said Takumi. "I know. The test."  
"Right. Now - here it is. You have a nice, big, red zero on it. Try to improve on it. If you even make just a little bit of improvement, that's a good sign. Don't be nervous. Here. This will help you think." He threw him a ripe apple.

Takumi caught the fruit in his hands.

"Eat," he assured. "Don't worry, it's not poison. Just take a while - relax - I'll give you as much time as you want, even if it takes all day."  


Takumi bit into his apple and laughed. He thought of staying in the same stuffy little 

room all day long, pondering over answers on his test.

"I'll leave," Mr. Shale said, making an expression with his hands. "Don't want me breathing down your neck, do you?" He chuckled, and kept his word, closing the door behind him.

Takumi breathed heavily. He knew, he just knew that he wouldn't pass the test. But still, he tried his hardest. He worked out what he knew, and surprisingly, he knew a lot. But he knew, knew it wasn't enough to pass the test. He was able to write down every answer this time, able to solve every problem, but he knew, he just _knew_ that they were all incorrect, somehow.

After about twenty minutes of testing, he told Mr. Shale that he was done, then left the guidance counselor's office, feeling a bit less than satisfied. Deep down, he knew that weeks of counseling had failed him, and he had failed himself - for the second time.

His next few classes were far more cheerful, but nonetheless the fact that he knew that he had failed the test crept down his back, like some sort of mosquito. In Science class, Takumi worked painfully on trying to finish his animal project, and couldn't help but realize that two days ago, someone had been sitting beside him. Someone who had died, been killed by a Digimon. Adamu Kitoaji. He stared at the boy's empty seat. Ryota had been right. They were doing evil in order to prevent a greater evil. Adamu Kitoaji had been an innocent boy, but caught in the wrong place at just the wrong time. He had been killed by the fox Digimon. The killer beast had not been found yet, but he knew that if it was, it wouldn't go without a fight. At this moment, he gripped his D-Monster Digivice very tightly. _Yes,_ he thought, _one day I will defeat that evil and bring peace . . ._

Afterwards, he looked at his class, his school, his town, his country, the world - all as very precious. This new view of things made him feel as though it were his duty to protect everyone else, for he had powers that no one else had.

The next period was Keyboarding, where Mrs. Questus told them how important it was to know how to type, which soon ended in a completely different direction, which involved her telling others how to throw a shot put. Nearly the whole lesson had been taken up by her exhausting lectures, and when the bell rang for lunch period, she almost fainted.

Lunch was no different than any other day - disgusting, but Takumi didn't care. He used this time wisely, thinking of his test, through bites of blood-colored chips which had been dubbed by the school chef as "tomato chips".

His next two periods, which were math and health, turned out to be a breeze, because during math Miss Andrews only demonstrated problems on the boards and did nothing else, allowing Takumi to get some much-needed sleep. The health teacher, Mrs. Phota, was giving them a long lecture on human disabilities. Next they watched a video.

In Geography, they watched yet _another_ video - this time dealing with the Renaissance period, specifically Leonardo da Vinci. Takumi watched his professional paintings with interest, then compared them with another artist that he knew - Shun Oshiro. He had never really studied art, and were amazed to find that Shun's paintings were as good as he thought they were - they seemed almost professional - they _were_ professional. Afterwards, they were given a sheet with numerous questions on the video.

Takumi was working hard on it when a slight tapping on his desk was heard. He looked up. It was Reina Yoshida, tapping frantically with her pencil.

"Yes?" grinned Takumi.

"Where was Leonardo da Vinci born?"

"Um . . ." He felt slightly embarrassed. He did not know what Reina had just said! He had been looking at her, but not taking in what she was saying . . .

"Um . . . what?" he laughed.

"Where was he born?" Reina asked, smiling.

"Wasn't it 'Da Vinci'?"  
"I think so. Didn't it say that in the video?"  
"Yeah, probably. Weird, huh?"  
"You mean the name of the town?" Reina asked.

"Yeah . . . I mean, how often do you have the same name as the town you were born in?"  
"I was born in Osaka," Reina said, not being at all careful. Miss Andrews could probably hear them talking. "And that's my last name."  
"You wish," grinned Takumi. "I was born in Yokohama at a very young age."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Reina laughed, then rolled her eyes. "You know, sometimes I think you were born when you were twelve." Her white teeth flashed. "Sometimes you act like a real dummy," she teased good-naturedly.

"I'm no dummy," Takumi remarked.

He loved talking to Reina. He couldn't imagine what he would do if she were to be the victim of a crime such as murder . . . he gritted his teeth at the very thought of it. The two said good-bye to each other after a long conversation which was eventually interrupted by Miss Andrews. The bell had rung, school was over until the next day . . . but not for Takumi.

Most of the students turned left out of the classroom, but Takumi turned right. He was to meet Ryota next to the principal's office and act as a distraction while Ryota was to retrieve the security tapes.

He felt awkward again, being the only student left in school (besides Ryota, of course), with only the teachers for company. But still, he trudged on, until he arrived at the familiar building of the principal's office, where he found Ryota, crouched down, underneath a bench.

"So," he said, when Takumi approached, "are we ready? Remember, you ask for -"

"I've got it, I've got it," he assured, then both went inside.

Everything seemed cool at the time: Takumi would act as a distraction, Ryota would grab the tapes. But there was one obstacle in their way -

Mr. Mes. It was as though he were placed there, as if he knew that the two would be arriving here at this very moment.

"Yes, Okii?" Mrs. Falle asked.

"Just a little somethin' princ'pal. Y'see, there's some kind of security camera in the teacher's lounge, and the air condition's not workin'."

Ryota tried his best to pretend as though he didn't have a clue what was going on. Takumi felt the same way, thought it was a bit harder for him.

"Well," said Mrs. Falle, "if you'd like to show me where exactly this security camera is, I'll try my best to move it. As far as I know, we didn't move a security camera there."

"Well, whoever moved the security camera also turned off the air condition," Mr. Mes explained, straightening up his collar. "Lead away, I want my good 'ol conditioning back." Mrs. Falle got up from behind her large desk, then assured Takumi and Ryota that she would be with them in a moment. This pleased Takumi, for this meant that Ryota would be able to sneak in and grab the security tapes with no problem whatsoever. However, Mr. Mes's expression as he passed them was one of extreme hatred. It was loathing.

When the principal and the janitor were not within hearing range, Takumi asked Ryota if Mr. Mes _knew _that they were up to something.

"Probably," said Ryota, as they grabbed the two security tapes they needed, then quickly departed.

"What I don't get is," Takumi began, starting towards their buses at a rapid pace, hoping not to miss them (the trip to the principal's office had taken some time), "is why Mr. Mes gave us powers to become Digimon, but he hates us so much."

"Maybe he's trying to kill us," Ryota remarked, "or get us arrested."

This appeared to be Mr. Mes's goal, but as Takumi expressed it later, "you never know."  
The two scrambled onto the bus, narrowly missing it. They took a seat in the back (there was not much room). Soon the bus was on the road, and the school was left far behind.

"So," said Ryota, putting his book bag in his lap, "Shun's at your house, right?" Obviously, Ryota knew this, he was trying to start up a conversation, for he believed he had stumbled onto something.

"Yeah," Takumi explained. "In my closet."

Ryota almost dropped his binder into the aisle.

"What!?" he exclaimed. "What do you mean 'in my closet'? What the heck's that mean? You've got him _in your closet_?"

"Yeah," Takumi shrugged. "What's wrong with that?"

"Are you kidding!?" Ryota shouted. "Everything's wrong! What if someone sees him?"

"Well, uh . . ." It had never occurred to Takumi before now that hiding someone in his closet was not a very wise thing, and that if his mother found Shun in there, he would have a lot of explaining to do.

"Takumi?" said Ryota, a little calmer. "Did anyone see him when he traveled over to your house?"  


"Um . . ." He hadn't asked. How could he have been so stupid? He had thought that Shun might have spoke up, but if someone _did _see him . . .

"Takumi," ordered Ryota, "you have to go to your house. You have to find a better place to hide Shun. If you don't someone will eventually find him. Unless they haven't found him already . . ."

These words gave him goose bumps. He wanted to get home as soon as possible. When the bus stopped, he withdrew from it quickly, then dashed in the direction of his home. When he came to it, he gasped.

A car stood in the driveway. A car that he didn't recognize. A man was at the door, and was talking to Mrs. Hito in a rapid voice.

Could it be the police? What if his mother had found Shun and decided to give them a call?  


Since the front door was blocked, Takumi went in the house through the garage. Fortunately, the garage door wasn't locked, so he snuck into the house, dropped his book bag, then ran furiously up the stairs.

_Shun, _he thought, and reached his room in record time. He dashed inside of it and threw open the doors to the closet.

"Shun?" he asked, peering in.

_There was no one inside!_

"Shun!" gasped Takumi, putting a hand on his forehead and almost disappearing out of the room, but a voice coming from the closet stopped him:  


"Takumi!"

He turned around. Shun _was _inside the closet, except he seemed to be glued to the wall. He noticed that his fourteen-year old friend was trembling in fear and was bathed in a pool of sweat.

"What happened?" asked Takumi, relieved.

"Your m-mom," was the stuttered reply. "She - she came in here, opened the closet doors, and almost found me!"

"What happened next?"  
"If it hadn't been for that salesman at the door, I would have been history."  
"Gosh! I'm so sorry Shun; I should have hid you better . . ."  
"Not . . . your fault," the frightened boy gasped. "It's mine, see. I should have picked a better place -"  
"No," argued Takumi. "It's mine."  
"I don't think I can stay here anymore."  
"But you have to. There's no other place. You'll just have to stay here until we find the Shadow Gang. Well, maybe -" He paused. He remembered that he had left his book bag downstairs. _The book bag containing the tape!_

"I'll be right back," said Takumi. "Listen - I want you to hide in our garage. Come on downstairs with me, and I'll sneak you out. Don't worry, everything will be fine."  


With that, Takumi and his friend slid downstairs. The former grabbed his book bag and rushed the latter out of the house, right before Mrs. Hito stepped inside, rather exhausted.

"Good afternoon, Takumi," she greeted, pouring herself a soft drink, "good to see you. Can you believe this? That darn salesman wanted to sell me key chains! Of all the stupid things!"  


"_Wonderful, _mom," groaned her son, who was also exhausted.

"Oh yeah," remembered Mrs. Hito, "Mr. Enomoto wants you to cut his grass today."  
"That's _wonderful_, too," he groaned again, leaving the house through the garage.

Ikki Enomoto was the son of Henri Enomoto, a humble man who had made a living through selling drugs of all sorts. He had been a friend of Mr. Hito, but the man had perished some years ago, and his son, Ikki, had inherited much of the man's wealth. However, younger Enomoto was known for being lazy, and had never used much of his money - or hardly any at all, except for paying the cable, and, in this case, paying Takumi to cut his grass, which, under his care, grew almost as tall as it did in an African savanna. Ikki Enomoto enjoyed paying his employees fairly large sums of money, and weekly Takumi would go by to cut his grass again for ten dollars. And although he groaned, it was convenient, for Mr. Enomoto lived very close to Ryota, who Takumi planned to talk to later about Shun. He wanted to ask if he could hide Shun in Ryota's house for tomorrow.

He ushered Shun behind some steps in the garage, where the eighth grader made himself comfortable, and bid good-bye to Takumi as he left to cut Mr. Enomoto's grass.

Cutting the grass was long and tiring, but he earned another ten dollars, to say nothing of talking to Ryota and making plans for Shun to spend the next day there. The two had divided the security tapes between them, but Ryota had not been able to view them yet. Nor had Takumi, but his chance came soon.

He left the Surashi place, then allowed Shun to see the security tapes in the kitchen, for his mother had decided to take to jogging until eight. Here, they viewed the security tapes.

Not much happened - they listened to teachers as they discussed current events, all of which was very boring. But soon, something began to develop . . .

On the screen of the television in the kitchen displayed the teacher's lounge. Mr. Mes came in, as well as his mysterious boss.

"There they are!" pointed Takumi.

Shun stood up in interest.

Mes's boss was nearly bald-headed, with a white shirt and black, shiny shoes, with a cold expression to match.

"Now," spoke Mes' boss, "you do know what happens tomorrow?"  
"Yes," came a muffled reply from Mes. "I know."  
"And you know what happens if it doesn't go well?"

"Yes, sah . . ."  
"Right. Just checking to see if you are prepared. Tomorrow." The video continued, Takumi catching on to every word. He could see Mr. Mes's boss speaking, but . . .

The sound had gone. He could hear nothing.

"Turn the volume up," suggested Shun. Takumi did so, but this did nothing.

"The sound must have gone off on the security camera!" Takumi shouted. "I can't believe this. We almost had them. Almost."  
"But what's going on tomorrow?"

"I don't know. But we can be sure that it's nothing good."

With that, Takumi ejected the tape, then strode upstairs, ordering Shun to stay in the garage.

"Aw," Shun moaned. "Don't tell me I have to stay out here."  
"You'll have to. Unless you want to take the risk of being found."  
He almost went back inside, but he had remembered his conversation with Ryota on the bus.

He looked at Shun, the boy who was two years older than him. His messy hair and deep brown eyes stood out.

"Shun," he asked, wondering, "did anyone - well, see you when you walked over here from juvenile hall?"

There he stood, waiting for an answer, in the dark of night, with nothing but the ceiling as a shelter from any natural disaster that may strike during the night.

Shun breathed heavily, then finally answered the question:  
"I - I think so."

"Who?"  
He crept back, as though in fear of what the answer to his next statement would be. "It was Miss Watari."

"Miss Watari?"  


"Yes. The woman who worked at the juvenile hall. I don't know . . . while I was walking over here, I think she may have glimpsed me . . ."

Takumi breathed heavily too. "Shun," he said. "That's bad. Real bad. If she knows, then . . ."  


"I know," Shun apologized, "I'm sorry. I should have told you earlier. In a couple of hours, I probably won't be here . . ."  
"No. You won't. You'll be at Ryota's. No one will know you're there. So what if Miss Watari glimpsed you? If nothing's been done now, she's probably forgotten all about it. I mean, if she had noticed you, she would have tried to stop you, wouldn't she?"  
"I guess," Shun shrugged. "But I mean - I really don't think I'm safe anywhere."  
"Of course you are."  


He shook his head. "No. I'm not. And neither are you, Takumi. You smuggled me into the house. You're as much of a criminal as I am. Every one of us digital humans. We're all criminals . . ."  


"No we're not!" Takumi argued. "Listen - we'll just find the Shadow Gang, then we'll just go back to our normal lives . . ."  


Shun shook his head again. He appeared to be very sad. "I'm sorry," he spoke. "But we'll never be normal. You've got to know that. And normal people shouldn't be living like normal people . . ."  


"Just what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that tomorrow we should start a new beginning. I've considered it ever since I knew I could transform into a Digimon. We should just go someplace where there are few humans, where we don't have to control our powers. Just us - you, me, Naoki, Miho, Yuka, and Ryota - a place that's suitable for us, I guess. Because we're animals, Takumi, that's what we are."  


He was about to argue, but thought the better of it. Shun was right. They would never, ever be normal, and it was stupid to pretend to be.

"You mean - all of us?" he asked instead. "Just leave? Forever?"  
"Why not?" Shun asked. "I can't return to my parents. I've already said my good-byes to them, as well as every normal person in the world. Everyone normal thinks I'm dead. I can't live like this forever." He put his hands up and peered down at his jail clothes.

Takumi sighed. He had a point. But he couldn't imagine saying good-bye to everyone defined as "normal" - his mother, the students and teachers at East Yokohama Middle School, _Reina_ -

He dug his hand into his pocket. He withdrew the green, still bubbling potion.

"You're right," Takumi admitted. "You're right. You - _we_ can't live like this forever. Just give me one more day, alright?"  
"Right," Shun agreed. "I'll give you one day to - you know, sort things out. But I promise you, after that - we're leaving."

Takumi nodded, still looking at the bubbling potion. The potion that turned humans into Digimon.

"Well," he said, opening the door to his house, "good-night, then. I'll see you tomorrow, I guess. Tomorrow."  
"Tomorrow something big will happen," nodded Shun.

"Right. Tomorrow."

_Next time on Digimon Genesis!  
It's the last day of Takumi's "normal" life. It's the final good-bye to everyone he knows and cares about! Or - is it? The search for the Shadow Gang continues for one final day! What is Mr. Mes's secret? Why is Mr. Akimoto chosen to become a Digimon? Who is Mr. Mes's mysterious boss? What is the 'something big' that will happen the next day? Many of these questions and more shall be answered on the next Digimon Genesis:  
  
GRADUATION DAY_


	18. Graduation Day

__

DISCLAIMER: *twitches* I . . . don't . . . own . . . Digimon AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Previously on Digimon Genesis,

Takumi went to school, with happy thoughts in his mind. After telling Ryota the good news that Shun was still alive, they both were able to reroute the security cameras the school so they would pick up more information on the mysterious Shadow Gang - who they suspected Mr. Mes belonged to! They heard Mr. Mes say the word "tomorrow . . .". But what's going to happen tomorrow? Takumi and the others are going to spend their last normal day, that's what! Because the day afterwards, they're going to head out into the wild, where they can have their powers in peace! But first, there's some stuff that needs to be cleared up, and today, Takumi Hito is going to try to solve the many mysteries in his life!  
  
**DIGIMON GENESIS**

CHAPTER XVIII

GRADUATION DAY

As Takumi sat up in his bed, his eyes became more adjusted to the sun shining in from the window. His alarm clock had been set for 6:15, but it was 5:55 right now. Usually he didn't get up this early in the morning. His morning routine involved getting up at the last second before the school bus came. But today was different. Today was his last day.

Well, at least the last day of his normal life. Tomorrow, at this time, he'd be setting off on his own, with his friends, Ryota, Naoki, Shun, Yuka, and Miho. These teenagers had something in common: they could all transform into digital monsters called Digimon.

At first glance, it would seem as though such a thing would be a blessing. But it wasn't. Already, Takumi had murdered two people in his Digimon form, his friend, Shun, had been caught for "robbing" a house, set fire to the juvenile hall which he was staying in, then faked his death. And now, they had made the ultimate decision: to go out on their own, away from civilization, to a place that could maintain their dreadful monster powers.

Shun was probably asleep now, hidden away in Takumi's garage. Yesterday, he had almost been found, had it not been for a salesman who tried to persuade Takumi's mother to purchase some key chains.

His goal was to bring Shun to Ryota's house before the school bus came, which would be a very tedious task, but it was worth it. Ryota's home was a much safer place for Shun to hide because Mrs. Surashi never came into his room during the daytime. And then, after school was over - they would set off to a different place. A different place that would be able to support the six kid's destructive powers. They would be far from human civilization, and the humans would be safe from danger.

Takumi rose from his bed and stretched, and began his abnormal morning task. While he put on his socks and shoes, he began to realize how important this day would be. He looked at his mother's room. The door was shut. 

_This may be the last time I'm in this house,_ he thought. And it was not only a day of sadness. Takumi had many questions that he wanted answered. Where was the fox Digimon that had killed Adamu now? What did the strange potion contain? Who stole his bicycle on that perilous night? And, most importantly, he thought, putting his book bag on his shoulders, who were the Shadow Gang?  
He believed he had two of them - Mr. Mes, the janitor of East Yokohama Middle School, and his boss. But it had not been proven. Or had it? He surely had enough evidence. But how would be find out? He couldn't just walk up to him and ask. The thought made him laugh.

He snuck quietly down the hall and out the garage door. His mother probably wouldn't wake up until 6:15, but the slightest noise could wake her - Takumi had had enough experience with that.

A loud snoring from deep in the garage greeted his entrance.

"Shun!" he shouted, finding the boy crouched underneath a cabinet.

"Ouch!" he moaned, bumping his head on it.

"Come on," Takumi insisted. "You know what today is, don't you? Our last day leading normal lives?"  
Shun groaned.

"For someone who wanted to do this, you don't seem very enthusiastic," he observed.

"I just don't like getting up early in the morning," he said, half-asleep.

"Well, you'll have plenty of sleep when we get away from all these normal people."  
"That'll be the life. It's better than sleeping in a closet or under a cabinet." He rubbed the bruise on his head.

"Yeah," agreed Takumi, sneaking out the garage door, "just get to Ryota's house, alright?"

Shun sighed. "And how," he said, in a testing voice, "am I going to get there without someone spotting me? Gosh, I must be in the news a lot. 'Boy dies in jail fire'. I bet all the people who are jogging will run up and point to me and say 'Hey, you look just like that boy that died in that fire'."

Takumi grinned, although it had not occurred to him that he would have to disguise his friend in order to get him to Ryota's house. The Surashi's house was close, but trying to smuggle a boy who had faked his death there was risky.

"I've got it!" he cried triumphantly, zipping up his book bag. "My gym bag."

Shun strode around impatiently, his hands on his hips. "And how will that help?" He kicked a dead leaf. It made a loud crunching sound.

"Easy," Takumi grinned. "You can wear these." He held up a pair of shorts and a blue t-shirt. They had been in his book bag since Monday, the day he had gym, but he had not been able to unpack it since.

"Aw, those are too small," Shun complained, but as it was the best solution, he reluctantly put them on and then stared at himself in an old mirror hidden in the garage.

"These look good," he observed, "but they're smelly. Don't you ever wash these?"  
"Every four, five months."

With the disguise on and the boys ready, they hustled out of the garage, discussing the events of what were to take place later that afternoon.

"Say good-bye to my house," Takumi whispered, "it's probably the last time you'll ever see it."  
"Bye, old dump."  
"No, seriously. What are we planning to do after I have school?" Takumi asked.

Shun shrugged. "I s'pose you'll just pick me up, we'll gather up all the other kids, and then we pack up."

"And then that's it?"  
"That's it."  
Takumi sighed. His last day.

"Gosh, you're lucky you even can say a good-bye," said Shun. "I can't say good-bye to anybody, or I'll have a lot of explaining to do."  
"Well, at least you don't have to go to school," Takumi joked. But secretly, he wanted to go to school. He hadn't said good-bye to Mr. Shale, Miss Andrews . . . even Teran Turpis deserved a farewell.

The two arrived at the Surashi's home at around 6:30. It was an elegant estate, with trees providing much shade. Dew covered the green grass. Ryota was waiting for them on the steps.

"What took you so long?" he asked, shaking his head. "Thanks to you lot, I bet that my parents will be up before we can sneak you in." He examined Shun from top to bottom.

"Hi, Ryota," Shun greeted.

"You don't need to greet me. A fine greeting, seeing a dead kid come up my front steps. Well, make yourselves at home." He opened the door.

Takumi had never really been inside Ryota's house - only on the front steps, or in the yard. Which probably explained why he was very surprised when he entered. In one corner of the home, which he assumed was the living room, had a piano, a large fireplace with a beautiful painting on the mantel (which Shun studied with interest) as well as two candles, one at each end. A large vase was on a beautiful coffee table, and a large, fluffy blue couch sat near the window.

And that was only the living room.

The hall contained many pictures of Ryota's family: Ryota's dad, who appeared to be an Italian, with pitch-dark hair and huge glasses, and his mom, a pretty woman with beautiful blonde hair and crystal clear blue eyes, as well as other relatives.

The dining room was something else altogether: a large table, standing atop of it a blue vase with several golden flowers. The furniture was composed of large cabinets, and a glass shelf which contained various jewelry.

Shun was almost as amazed as Takumi, who grown up in a not-so-wealthy home.

"Ryota . . ." he stammered. "You never told me you were rich."  
His companion only shrugged. "Eh, must have slipped my mind. Shun, why don't you come upstairs to my room? Any second my parents will come down to get a sip of coffee.

His advice was taken seriously - they dashed up Ryota's remarkable steps (after getting some potato chips from the pantry for Shun) very quietly, as not to disturb Mr. and Mrs. Surashi. Takumi knew his parent wouldn't take it very well to be woke up by her son coming up the stairs, and wondered how the Surashis would take it.

When they got in Ryota's room, Takumi was in for a surprise. His room, unlike the rest of the house, was disorderly and quite messy. They avoided old books and sports equipment (Shun almost tripped on a CD player). Mrs. Hito would surely call Ryota's room a "jungle".

"Fortunately, my parents never come up here," Ryota assured.

"I can't identify with that," Takumi remarked. "If my mom saw this room -"  
"Aw, whatever. Just get Shun inside my closet and be quiet. You'll wake my parents."  
They discussed the matter at hand: about how they would proceed with their journey to a place uninhabited by humans, and such, to Ryota, who took it pretty well.

"I suppose there's not much we can do," he sighed.

They waved good-bye to Shun and locked him inside Ryota's room, then the two friends departed to the bus stop. It was only 7:05, about thirty minutes before Takumi usually got there. The elementary students were already gathered there, as they went to school earlier than the middle school students.

"There's Naoki and Yuka," Ryota pointed out. "They don't know yet."

Naoki's blonde, almost white, hair shown out like a diamond, so the two headed over to where they were.

"Oh - hello," he said, upon meeting them. He walked off into a corner with them, knowing that their conversation was not to be overhead. Yuka went with him.

Ryota discussed the situation along with Takumi (but they left out the fact that Shun was still alive). The two young kids were very discouraged and reluctant to proceed, but as Ryota quoted it, it was "the only way".

The discussion ended, the afternoon was scheduled. After school they would leave the normal world - forever. The elementary school bus came and went, along with Naoki and Yuka, who began their day of good-bye. By then, middle school kids were arriving. To them, it was a normal day.

But not for Takumi, Ryota, Naoki, Shun, and Yuka . . . he made a note to himself to tell Miho through the D-Monster.

"Hello?" he asked through his rectangular device. "Is this Miho?"  
"Yeah?" a voice replied. "What do you want?"

"We're leaving this world. Forever. We're going to go off, to a new place, where we can't harm humans. You can come with us, if you'd like."  
There was a sharp noise, then a silence.

". . ."

"Hello?"  
"Meet me at my house tonight, alright?"  
"You betcha. Well, see you." Then, turning to Ryota, he said: "Wow, she took that well."  
"I'll say," was the reply from his chum. "Why did she want you to come to her house in the afternoon?"  
"Don't know, she probably wants to talk about it a bit more."

"Hmm."  
"All I'm worried about is Shun."  
"He'll be fine. My parents never go up to my room."  
"Well, we know why."  
"Really, my room's not as messy as it looks."

"Maybe not. But speaking of mess . . . I wonder if we'll find out anything more on Mr. Mes today."

"Well, today is all there is. 'Cause we won't be in school tomorrow, you must know."  
"_Who's_ not going to go to school tomorrow?" an unwelcome little voice asked. It came from the very back of the bus. Takumi stared into the brown eyes of a boy with greasy-hair and numerous freckles.

"Mind your own business, Bando," Ryota said, trying to shut him up.

Bushirou Bando was a nosy little seventh grader. Although cowardly, he blackmailed some of the biggest bullies.

"Oh, I'll make it my business," he said coolly. "If you decide to skip school tomorrow, I'm going to have to report it to a teacher. They'll punish you. It'll be your own good, you know."

"Oh it will, will it?" Takumi spoke up, courage in his body. "Well, not if we have anything to say about it." He threw a fake punch at Bando, who flinched.

"Don't do that," he said, raising his hands in the air in panic. "I must teach you, even if I have to get my hands dirty. Either that, or you'll have to pay me."  
"We don't have any cash, Bando," said Ryota. "Now shut up and leave us alone - or we'll kill you."  
"Is that so? Then I guess you'll get in trouble either ways. Unless you have cold cash, up front. You're going to have to pay to escape."

Ryota sighed, thinking. Suddenly an idea came to him. Bando was clever, but he certainly wasn't smart.

"How about we give it to you later today?" Ryota asked, trying to bargain. "If we don't pay you by the end of the school day, you can report us to the teacher all you want."  
Bando seemed to consider this. He brushed back his black hair and sighed. Takumi hesitated. Would he be foolish enough to accept this offer?

With a brush of hair and a smirk, Bando said what he thought:  
"Ha! You really think I'll fall for that?" He jumped in his seat. "I'm going to tell your teacher about what you're planning to do. Skipping school tomorrow. Bad!" The boy dug in his pockets. "I'm poor, see. But how did you afford those clothes?" He pointed to Ryota's blue sweater. "It looks like you have plenty of money. Surely you have some with you right now?"

It was only now when Takumi realized their desperate situation. If Bando told a teacher, the teacher would surely tell his mom. And if they told his mom, running away would be a very hard thing to do!  
Ryota sighed yet again. "We've already told you, you dim-witted little ass, that we don't have any money. And you can be sure that you will regret telling."

Bando sat back in his seat smugly. "What are you going to do, punch me?" He laughed. Then, turning serious, he said:  
"Look, all I want is a little bit of money. If you can't give me it, then I can't give you a leeway. But if you do give me some cold cash, then I suppose I can find it in my heart to _not _tell a teacher. So what will it be?" He sat up in his seat and took out his hand. "Better for both of us."

Ryota didn't do anything.

Minutes passed, and Bando was getting restless. "Look, just give me some money, I give you a break, see?"

"No!"

"Listen, I know you have money -"

"Bando, be quiet!" Takumi shouted at him, when Bando dug his hand into Ryota's pockets.

"Stop!" he ordered, trying to get him away, but Bando pulled out several five-dollar bills from his pocket.

"Let me keep these," he said, putting them into his own pockets, "and I'll let you go."  
"Give them back!" Ryota ordered sternly, forcing himself into the next seat and aiming furiously at Bando, who pulled out the bills and put them far out of reach.

"Hey!" the bus driver shouted in a loud, angry voice. "You kid back there - sit down, or I'll make you!"

Any other person on the bus would have told instantly that he had been robbed, but Ryota wasn't going to stoop down to that level. He wasn't going to settle the matter with words.

"Give it back, Bando - or I'll punch you," he held out his fist and intentionally missed. The blackmailer flinched, but didn't back off:  
"If you punch me, that'll be bad. If you punch, I'll tattle."

"You little rat!" Then, thinking fast, he said: "If I punch you, you won't live to tattle. Now give me the money!"  
Bando shook his head smugly, as the bus came to a stop. The doors opened, kids filed out. Unfortunately, the blackmailer was first. He jumped out of his seat and climbed over some others, pushing his way through the crowd to get out first.

"Get that little thief!" Ryota shouted, pushing his own way through the line of students, even some girls.

He made his way to the front, shoving some sixth graders out of his way. Takumi followed steadily. They could see Bando a few yards in front of them. They gradually arrived at the front of the bus, trailing the blackmailer, who jumped down the steps of the yellow bus. Ryota and Takumi followed suit.

"Hey!" shouted the cranky bus driver, "stop jumping around!"

"Oh, shut up!" Ryota hollered back, looking in front. Takumi did as well. He could see Bushirou Bando entering the school building.

Takumi wondered why he was running, the reward was only getting fifteen dollars back. And if the fifteen dollars would shut Bando up, then that would suit him just fine. He guessed that Ryota didn't want to look like a doormat for someone like Bando to tread on.

"Oh darn, he's in the building now!" shouted Takumi, trying to keep up with his speeding friend.

"Who cares! I want the money!"

They half-ran, half-crashed, through the large doors to the school. They found Bando dashing down the long hall in front of him.

"After him!" Ryota shouted, turning down a corner when he unfortunately bumped into Mr. Akimoto, the gym teacher.

"Whoa!" he shouted, sliding on the floor and landing on his back. After catching his breath, he managed to gasp, "Sorry, Mr. Akimoto."

The gym teacher was astounded. "Surashi!" He breathed heavily. "Takumi," he added, upon seeing him. He noticed that he had called Ryota by his last name, but him by his first. Obviously, Akimoto and Miss Andrews had yet to stop babying him around, afraid that he might turn out to be exactly like Shun and become a criminal and die from his horrible mistakes.

"Really, Takumi," Mr. Akimoto explained, eyeing him carefully, "you really shouldn't be -"  
At that moment, Miss Andrews appeared through a door.

"Satoshi, what's going on?" she demanded. "Takumi, are you okay?"  
Our hero wanted to explode with anger. Why couldn't they treat him like a normal student, why did they have to treat him like a toddler? It was embarrassing, not only that, it was insulting! All he wanted to be was normal, treated normally. Even though he had a secret, a dark secret, he wanted to be treated like any other person, any other student. There was no need to baby him around the halls and make sure every teacher in the school was watching his every move! He assured himself that soon, this would not be. Soon, tomorrow, he would be somewhere far away from human civilization, where he could satisfy his monstrous powers. He wanted to destroy something right now. But he put his powers at rest, and saved them for the next day. For they were just trying to help him, his teachers - he just didn't know how to help himself.

"Running through the halls," Mr. Akimoto explained to Miss Andrews. "Almost crashed into me."  
"You mustn't go running around the halls like this!" the female teacher screeched. "Please, Takumi - come with me -"  
"And Surashi," Mr. Akimoto began -

_ZIP._

Ryota was off in a flash, after Bando, who had meanwhile been watching the two students get in trouble. He was quite alarmed when the black-haired boy leaped after him, down the hall.

"Mr. Surashi, come back here!" the stern gym teacher ordered, but Ryota did not come back, in fact, he did not even turn around. He was not very friendly towards the teachers, but he had never before disobeyed them.

This made Mr. Akimoto angry. Never before had he a student that did not obey his laws.

"Surashi, come back here, or I'll give you detention!" And with that, he stormed off after Ryota, who was storming after greasy-haired Bando.

Miss Andrews was aghast. "I've never seen anything like this!" she exclaimed. "Ryota running after Bushirou, Satoshi running after Ryota . . ." But she had yet another person to add to the list. Takumi was also intent on getting back Ryota's money. With a scurrying of feet, he was off, dashing down the hall after Mr. Akimoto.  
"Takumi, where do you think you're going?" Miss Andrews asked, walking fast down the hall, but could not keep up with his running, "Takumi - where are you going - look!" she exclaimed, quickening her pace, "I don't want to assign detention to you too!"  
"Try!" Takumi whispered to himself, quickening his own pace, and dashing past Mr. Akimoto.

"Hey!" the gym teacher cried. "What are you boys doing?"

Takumi didn't answer; he only rushed past, he saw Ryota about thirty yards ahead of him, and a small speck in the distance, Bando. Bando pushed himself out the back entrance of the school, then sped away on the football field.

He eventually caught up with Ryota, who had stopped his pace and stood staring at Bando, who was a third of a quarter of a mile away.

"Where's he going?" Takumi asked.

"The gym," Ryota breathed, his hands on his knees. "That ought to slow him down."  
It was a few seconds later when Takumi realized that they were in hotter water than before. "What'll happen to us?" he asked.

"What?"  
"I mean, like, detention or something. Will they call our parents?"  
"Don't know," Ryota said. "Come on, let's go after him, he's probably pooped out by now -"  
"No! Let's just tell Mr. Akimoto and Miss Andrews everything. Then we can get your money back, and everything will be fine."  
Ryota considered this for a moment, his hands to his lips, his knees on the ground. "I see your point," he said, "but we'll get in trouble if Bando snitches on us."  
"Well, we'll get in trouble anyway!" Takumi explained. "Come on, let's go back. We can explain everything. Come on, let's go."  
Ryota looked down at the grass. "Bando's a jerk. I don't want a teacher to handle this. I want to handle this on my own. I've always been by myself, and I always will be. In fact, you don't need to help me. _You _go back and explain everything, I'll go after Bando."  
"No," Takumi insisted. "Look, we're together in this, alright? We can both transform into Digimon, we both want to get revenge on Bando, and we both want to leave this place. Come on, I want to start my last day at school as a good one. How about you?"  
Ryota looked down at his knees, then at the blue sky. "Alright," he agreed, standing up. "But I get the pleasure of telling them."

Within seconds, the two of them reported back to Miss Andrews and Mr. Akimoto, who were standing there, astounded with anger.

"What is wrong with you!?" Mr. Akimoto demanded. "Even after I told you -"

"Sorry, Mr. Akimoto," prompted Takumi, "you see, we were -"

"Chasing after Bushirou," said Ryota. "Because he -"  
"I can't believe you two!" the gym teacher stammered, stomping his feet on the tiles of the floor. "I've never seen in all my life such nerve!"

Miss Andrews put a finger to her lips and sighed. "Satoshi, what do you think we should do with them?"  
The physical education teacher looked at her. "I'll tell you what we're going to do with them, Miss Andrews - we're going to give them a call to their parents!"

A tinge of guilt fell through Takumi. His mom worked at the bank, and calling her would interrupt her. She wouldn't like that at all. On top of that, Mrs. Hito had no idea that her son was making bad grades in school. It would send a shock of pain and misery to the woman!  
"Down to the teacher's lounge!" the male teacher ordered. "March!" And the four of them - Takumi, Ryota, Miss Andrews and Akimoto - marched down to the teacher's lounge, where he would meet his doom - Mrs. Hito would be abashed at the thought of her son getting in trouble at school.

"Oh look, those two are busted!" a troublemaker, Chiaki, commented as they passed by him. "What'd you get in trouble for, Takumi? Never knew you had it in you." He laughed, as well as several other boys with him.

"Be quiet, Bonanza," said an angry Akimoto.

The chuckles of the students nearby as they marched down the hall were nothing compared to what Takumi would soon endure.

He could just imagine a phone call for his mother at the bank, how surprised she would be, how she would answer it and hear the bad news, how she would sob . . .

He tried to force the image out of his mind and began to wonder what Ryota's mom would be like. His mother _and _his father! This was the only time he was glad his own father wasn't alive. If his mother would be crying over the report, his father would surely be hysterical.

And now he had to imagine what his father would be like, if he were still alive. It felt worse than reality. A chill passed through him, as if the ghost of his dad was following him, trailing him through the hallway, crying out to him . . .

Soon they arrived at the teacher's lounge. It looked the exact same as it had yesterday - rows of tables, piles of boxes, a bookshelf. In the corner stood a phone, and near the ceiling was -

_A security camera._

He and Ryota exchanged glances. They had both installed the security camera into the teacher's lounge the previous morning, using it to spy on the janitor. Mr. Mes, along with the help of Mrs. Falle, had taken out the security camera yesterday afternoon. They had had no time to put it back in the morning. But if they hadn't the time to put it back in, the question was - _who?  
_"Now," Mr. Akimoto began, peering at Ryota, "we'll call your father first. Is he at home?"

"No, he isn't."

"Where does he work, then?"  
"The Surashi Electronics Factory."  
"Do you know his number?"  
"Yes."  
"Dial it. I'll give you a few minutes to talk with him."  
Ryota gulped. Evidently, his father was strict about grades. He reached for the phone.

"Can't believe this, can you, Miss Andrews?" asked the gym teacher to the young woman. "Two kids running around the halls, even after we asked them _politely_ to stop. Of all the nerve!"

"Quite right," agreed Miss Andrews, but it seemed like she had different opinions. Takumi knew that she didn't want him being disciplined because it might send him over the edge.

Ryota suddenly dropped the phone.

Mr. Akimoto and Miss Andrews, as well as Takumi, looked up.

A loud, screaming noise was heard down the hall. Even though the door was shut, the sound was sharp.

"LET GO OF ME! YOU DON'T HAVE ANY PROOF! LET GO OF ME! LET GO!"  
Mr. Akimoto got to his feet. "What the devil is going on out there?" he asked himself, approaching the door, but the knob turned before he could reach it.

In the doorway stood Mr. Shale, the guidance counselor, who was holding Bushirou Bando by the shoulders.

"Let me go!" the blackmailer hollered. "Get me out of here!"  
"Now be quiet, Bushirou. You owe somebody an apology," said the counselor calmly, still holding the struggling Bando.

"What's wrong with him?" Mr. Akimoto asked, looking at the hollering boy, who was beginning to shake his fists in fury.

"Goodness, did something happen to him?" asked Miss Andrews, who got to her feet as well and surveyed Bando from head to toe.

Ryota picked up the dropped phone and held it to his chest. He had not yet spoken to his father. He and Ryota exchanged looks.

"Not to him, but to someone else." The guidance counselor let the struggling boy go, but did not let him out of the teacher's lounge.

Bando seemed to regain his senses and stopped crying. "Let me get out of here. I've got to get to class!"  
Flint Shale turned to the boy. "You are in class, Bushirou. You're going to learn something, and you're going to remember it for the rest of your life."

The blackmailer didn't listen. "Let me go!" he shouted, heading for the door, but Shale blocked it. "I'll call my mom! She'll make sure you're fired!"

Shale shook his head. "No teacher is going to get fired for catching you as to no officer is going to get fired for catching a thief."

"A thief!" Miss Andrews stammered. "What - what's going on?"

Ryota stood up and put the phone back on its receiver. "Bando stole fifteen dollars from me this morning."

"Fifteen dollars!"

"So that's why you were running after him," Akimoto comprehended. "Of course, you should have told a teacher - but of course, I remember when I was in school, I wouldn't have - because I would be accused of a tattle-tale. I probably would have done the same thing."

"Do you think they're free to go?" Miss Andrews asked.

The gym teacher nodded.  
"No!" Bando shouted, angry. Suddenly he knew what to do. "They - both of them were planning to skip school tomorrow!"

"They _what_?"

Another person entered the room. It was Mr. Mes, holding a broom in one hand and a bucket in the other. "What did you say that them two were trying to do?!" he shouted, pointing an angry finger at the two boys. "Skip - school - tomorrow? Uncalled for! Unheard of! Worse than stealing, I say!"

"Okii, why don't you sit down?" asked the counselor. "We're discussing something right now. Apparently, Bushirou has been stealing."

"Stealing? What's that to skipping school? I say we give the person who was stealing a second chance. Skipping school is a crime! Why, all us hard-working teachers, trying to educate these students, and what do we get in return? Students who don't show up _and_ low pay!" He took his seat near the security camera and put his materials on a table nearby.

"Let's hear what _they_ have to say, Okii," the guidance counselor asked. "Tell us the story. From start to finish."

"Well!" began Bando, starting the story:  
"I just got on the bus. Then I hear that these two are going to skip school tomorrow. I wanted to tell you as soon as possible -"  
"That's not what happened!" Ryota stood up and stared angrily at Bando, who flinched at the cold blue eyes. "You blackmailed us and said unless we paid you all the money we had, you would snitch on us. Then when we said that we didn't have the money, you stole some and ran down the hall!"  
"It didn't happen that -"

Mr. Shale held up a hand for silence and got quickly to his feet. "Well," he said, examining the thief, "let's see what he has in his pockets."

The counselor dug his hand into the boy's pockets. "Hey!" shouted Bando, "Stop! That's my property!"  
Mr. Shale dug out three five-dollar bills.

"My money!" Ryota exclaimed.

The guidance counselor nodded.

"You've got no proof!" Bando shouted, angrily. "Those are _my_ dollar bills!"

"We have proof enough," Mr. Shale assured, giving the money back to Ryota, who put them in his own pockets. "And the story seems to make sense." He turned to his fellow teachers. "How about we let Takumi and Ryota go, and have _Bushirou _give a call to his parents?"

The other teachers nodded, except for Mr. Mes, who crossed his arms.

"Now!" he said. "What about them two?!" He pointed to Takumi and Ryota. "Skipping school, as I have said before, is a crime! _I _say we call their parents anyway. We'll make _sure_ they come to school tomorrow!"

Mr. Shale put a hand up for silence. "I think we should make an agreement."  
"A _what_?" said Mr. Mes, holding his arms in the air. "What are you talking about?"  
"I say that if Takumi and Ryota don't come to school tomorrow, then it's their own fault. Don't you agree, Okii?"

Mes nodded. "Yeah, so what?"

"So I say we give them a choice: to come to school tomorrow and get a good education and valuable knowledge; or, don't come to school tomorrow, and get a zero for the day. All tests, quizzes, and other work for that day shall be counted as a zero. I think it's silly to punish them for not going to school, then letting them make up their work. If they don't want to go to school, they don't _have_ to go to school. But they can't blame us if they grow up to live on the streets."

Miss Andrews nodded. "An excellent idea!"

"I suppose that makes enough sense," smiled the gym teacher.

"Absolutely not!" shouted the janitor, Mes. "No way! Out of the question! Boo-hoo!"  
"And why do you object, Okii?" asked Flint Shale calmly. "Is there any reason?"  
"Well -" groaned the janitor. "Well -" His eyes darted towards Takumi. Then he stood up, pointing at the two of them. "You see, Surashi can go free. He was robbed, so it all evens out. But no crime has been committed against Hito over there! He stays."  
Mr. Shale sat back and spoke calmly. "I don't see any logic in that, Okii," he told the janitor truthfully. "Doing evil and then doing evil back doesn't solve something. I would like to see them both go freely."

"Then _who_," Mr. Mes shook his fist, "is going to be held responsible for _that_?" He pointed upwards with a long, dirty finger, at the security camera above him.

"How did that get there?" Miss Andrews asked. "I never noticed it before."  
"That's because it wasn't _here_ before!" Mr. Mes shouted with fury. "Someone put that security camera up - to - to _spy_ on me!"  
Mr. Akimoto chuckled. "Now now, Mr. Mes, that's ridiculous. Who would want to spy on you?"

Mes grunted and pointed furiously at Takumi and Ryota. "Them two!"

There was a silence in the air.

It was soon broke by more laughter from Mr. Akimoto. "Now really - let's be sensible here - you can't just _move_ a security camera - no, no, no, no, no - it's heavy wiring, very complicated indeed . . ."

"Right!" agreed Miss Andrews. "How would some kids know how to do this?"  
"It's easier than it looks," breathed Mes, looking straight into Takumi's eyes. "But of course -" Fury was in his eyes - "Some people _would_ know how to do it - in fact," his cold eyes met Takumi's, he thought he was staring into eternal darkness, "some of us are - _brought up _that way."

Mr. Akimoto twitched. "Wait a second, Surashi - you said that your dad worked at an electronics factory, didn't you?"  
Ryota nodded.

"THAT DOES IT!" Mr. Mes stormed. "IT WAS HIM! HE REROUTED THE SECURITY CAMERA! I KNOW IT - I KNOW -"  
"Mr. Mes!" Miss Andrews snapped. "Calm down -"

"You have no proof, Okii," Shale said calmly. "And until I see it, I will charge these boys with nothing more. We have discussed this many times."  
"But -"  
"But nothing, Okii. It was a pleasure talking to you all about getting these things straight." He put one hand on Takumi's shoulder, and another on Ryota's. "Now, I must escort these boys back to their class. Keiko, you'll be coming up too, I imagine?"

"Right," agreed the young teacher. "I'll just - stay here for a while."

"And Satoshi, you'll be calling Bushirou's parents up?"

"Yes."  
"I was framed!" Bando was shouting, shaking his fist.

And so Takumi and Ryota, along with Mr. Shale, left the teacher's lounge, leaving a security camera that was spying on an angry Mes, a crying Bando, as well as Miss Andrews and Mr. Akimoto, and strode over to their familiar line of classrooms.

Mr. Shale dismissed Ryota, as well as a note to Mr. Katsumata, but he didn't allow Takumi to go to his first period class.

"So - I guess you won't be counseling me anymore, huh?" asked Takumi, when they were within several feet to Miss Andrew's classroom.

"No, I won't," said Mr. Shale, holding in one hand a can of coffee he had gotten from the teacher's lounge and the other in his hand. "But I hope we see each other again soon."

"We will."

Mr. Shale smiled. "It was a joy to counsel you, Takumi. In so many ways you resemble your father - intelligent, brave, and responsible."  
Takumi looked at Mr. Shale's face. "But I'm not intelligent or any of those things."

The guidance counselor laughed, and drank some of the coffee. "If you weren't intelligent, then how did you make a hundred and five on your make-up test?"

"I made one hundred and five on my make-up test?"  
"Of course you did."  
"But -" Takumi couldn't believe it. "I didn't do that by myself. Without you, I wouldn't have made that grade."  
"True, true. But you see, a counselor's job is not to _help _you, but to _find_ you."  
"Find me?"  
"And that's what you did. You found yourself, Takumi. And after you find yourself, the rest is easy. Again, it was a joy to counsel you." He held up the coffee in his hand. "Good-bye Takumi, and I wish you good luck in the future."

And with a swish of his coat, the guidance counselor walked down the hallway and left him standing there, feeling very confused. Takumi thought that the skills he had learned with Mr. Shale were valuable, but he didn't think they could come in handy in the place he was destined to go.

* * *

The school day had been an uneventful one for Takumi. He had missed Language Arts for quite a few weeks, and it was hard catching up on all they learned. It was easily the most boring class he had, but at least it was over first.

Science was a philosophical one for Takumi; something that hardly occurred. He believed that if he wasn't going to be in the country to turn in his Animal Project, what was the point of working on it? He spent half of the period trying to figure out what to do, and the other half scribbling on a piece of paper he borrowed from Masami.

His next class was keyboarding, with Mrs. Questus, who told them how excited she was about the upcoming music festival that would take place that afternoon at a faraway school.

At lunch, he discussed the mystery of the security camera with Ryota, but could not find a good answer to it.

Math was pretty normal, studying integers - Chiaki wondered what the square root of negative one million was - all normal until Miss Andrews walked up to him and congratulated him over his remarkable test.

"The best score I've ever seen!" she said, amazed. "Why, even better than Yuuko's!" she remarked as a sniffling teacher's pet walked by. "I'm impressed."

"Miss Andrews?" Takumi asked. "There's something I want to talk with you about."  
"And whatever may that be?"

He looked down at his shoes. "Listen - I know you - you -"  
"I what?"

"I know you think I'm some sort of - well - _bad_ student."

"Why, of course not!" she stammered, almost laughing, "just look at this test grade! I've never seen anything -"

"No, no, no - I mean, like - you think I'm like Shun Oshiro or something."

Miss Andrews suddenly turned serious. "What do you mean?"  
Takumi looked up at the ceiling. "I _know_ you think I'm going to turn out like Shun - you know - that boy who got arrested." He looked down at Miss Andrews' shoes. "I just wanted to say that - I'm not like that - and I'm not going to do drugs or rob houses or kill myself - I'm just a normal student."

Miss Andrews put her finger to her lips, like she did so many times. "Well -" she began. "I - I'm sorry. I thought -" She sighed and crossed her arms, looking down at the floor. "You're a good student and everything. I guess I just thought that you and Shun had some similarities in your academics and emotional health. I thought if I did something, I could save you, or something."

He now had the courage to look up, to look straight into her face. "I'm sorry, Miss Andrews."  
His teacher looked up. "I'm sorry too. I hope you didn't think I was babying you around, Takumi." Then, turning humorous, she said: "I mean, _Mr. Hito_." She laughed.

He grinned. "You're a great teacher, Miss Andrews. I hope I haven't offended you in any way."  
"You're a great student, Takumi. Sometimes I wish that more were like you. But you're wrong. I'm not a good teacher. If I was a good teacher -" She looked at the ceiling, "I imagine I would have treated you differently."

Takumi shook his head. "You _are_ a great teacher. The best teacher I've ever had."

Miss Andrews smiled. "I'm glad, Takumi. It's rewarding to teach, but it's even more rewarding to have students who respect and like you. Thank you."

Takumi left the room quickly. Under his breath, he said: "_Thank _you."

In health, Mrs. Phota gave them a test on human disabilities, which Takumi aced. He learned that he received another hundred.

But what he had been waiting for had been History class. His last class between normal life and freedom. He spent the whole period looking at Reina's head, which was unfortunate, because later they were given a worksheet on the second class.

The bell rang. Takumi piled up his books and dumped them in his book bag, as well as a pencil and the worksheet on the second class.

He left Miss Andrews' room and saw Reina Yoshida, the girl of his dreams, a few yards away. He dashed over to her, pushing several other students out of his way, to get to her. If he didn't find her now -

He searched for the beautiful girl among the crowd of students, forcing his way nearer and nearer. But the nearer he got, the farther she seemed to be . . .

Eventually he caught up with her. She hadn't yet noticed him. He tapped her on her bare shoulder.

Startled, she spun around. It was the first time he had seen the front of that beautiful head today. He grabbed her hand, not sure what the heck he was doing or where he was going. He dashed down the hall, their hands in a lock. He dragged her along until they came to a hall with no students at all. He opened a nearby door and started into a dark room - the material room. It was old and dusty, and where extra books and such things were stored. The girl came in as well; somewhat reluctantly.

It was a while before either of them spoke; they gave themselves time for their eyes to adjust to the darkness.

"Takumi?" Reina asked quietly, looking around for him. "Takumi?"  
"I'm here," said the boy. Reina caught sight of him and walked towards where he was, and stopped when her face was close to his.

"Takumi - what are we doing here?" she asked in the darkness. "We'll be late -"

"I wanted to talk to you," he prompted.

"Couldn't you talk with me in the hall?" she breathed. "It's dark in here."  
"I know. I wanted to discuss this with you in private." Takumi was aghast at his own courage. He never thought he would do something like this before. He began:  
"I - you're special to me, Reina. Very special."

Both breathed in the darkness, Takumi afraid of what she would reply. In the darkness, the answer was even more suspenseful, but finally -

"You're special to me, too," said Reina.

Takumi grinned, but it didn't matter if he frowned or looked angry, neither could make out each other's facial expressions. "You know," he said, "I thought that at first you were just pretty, that's all."

Reina must have grinned too.

"Well - I'm not as childish as I was a few weeks ago. I don't like you just because of your looks."  
Silence.

"Well - I mean I like you because of everything about you - your personality, your sense of humor, and your looks too -"  
He heard breathing. Takumi was sweating, this was so hard, telling her what he thought about her, and yet - and yet it was refreshing, in a way.

Now it was Reina's turn to talk. "I like you too - I like how you're not an - an immature little brat, like some of the other boys."  
Takumi grinned. "Those come by the truckloads, don't they?"  
Reina giggled. "Yeah, well, some boys like being punks. They think it's so cool. They're all jerks."

He grinned again. "I can be a jerk too, if you'd like."

"You?" Reina breathed. "You be a jerk? Prove it."

"I think I will." He leaned over in the darkness. His eyes couldn't see, but his heart could. His hands rested on her shoulders. They brought their lips together in an embrace. Her hair smelt like wildflowers, sweet and fresh.

When the kiss ended, both gazed into each other's eyes for a while. Then Takumi remembered what he had planned to do. He dug out the potion from his pocket - it was still bubbling.

"What is that?" Reina asked.

"It's for you," was the reply in the darkness. "Here. Drink. It's good."  
Somewhat reluctantly, the girl received the potion in her hand. She opened the flask and smelt inside of it.

"What does it smell like?" Takumi asked.

"Like - I don't know. I can't describe it."  
"Drink it."

Cautiously, the girl held the potion to her lips, and began to drink.

_Next time on Digimon Genesis!  
It's the second part of the last day of Takumi's normal life! Now it's time to find out who the Shadow Gang is, to set straight the last member of the Genesis team, and to uncover any secrets. But first, Takumi has some things to do . . ._

TEARS OF AN OUTCAST

__


	19. Tears of an Outcast

_Okay, so I lied. "Iscariotism" will not be Chapter 19. Instead, it will be titled, "Tears of an Outcast" and "Iscariotism" will be Chapter 20. I'm sorry, but it was obligatory ^_^  
  
Happy Thanksgiving! To Americans, that's where we celebrate the pilgrims and the Indians (or Native Americans, as the 'school term' is) got along and shared a grand feast. I'm giving you this chapter for the occasion! Well, actually it's just because that's the way the dates were. But enjoy this chapter, and your Thanksgiving holiday!_

_Previously on Digimon Genesis, Takumi snuck Shun out of his house and into Ryota's, where he would be less vulnerable to being caught. He then got a message from Miho stating that he and the others should meet her at her house at the end of school. After telling Naoki and Yuka about it, they hopped on the school bus where they found Bando, who overheard their conversation about skipping school the next day and threatened to tell if they didn't give him the money in Ryota's pocket. They both refused; but Bando took off with it anyway, leading to a chase around the school and leaving Miss Andrews and Mr. Akimoto very angry at them. Bando was caught by Mr. Shale, where they found another strange event - someone had rearranged the security camera again, and it wasn't the Genesis team! When Mes arrived on scene, he believed that someone was spying on him, and he also was on the verge of giving Takumi and Ryota detention for trying to skip school the next day. However, Shale dropped the subject when he tested the pair's ethics._

After saying that he was sorry to his teacher and thanking Mr. Shale, he caught up with Reina after social studies and convinced her to drink the potion he had been keeping in his pocket . . .

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon, but all humans in this story, as well as Hiamon, Kibamon, Jikimon, and the fox Digimon are my characters. And if you use them in your fic, I'll sue you to the poorhouse! Well, actually, I'd be flattered if you did use them, because, y'know, that'd mean you must like these guys a lot. But don't! Seriously. I'd kill you.

****

DIGIMON GENESIS

CHAPTER XIX

TEARS OF AN OUTCAST

"Takumi? Takumi, is that you?" A voice from the kitchen.

A bit surprised, the twelve year old boy opened the door and wiped his muddy feet on the disgusting, unwelcoming welcome mat. He proceeded to take off his shoes, then walked in his socks over to the area where the voice was heard. "Mom, is that you? What are you doing home so early?"  
A sip of coffee was heard as Mrs. Hito folded the afternoon papers. "If I've told you once I've told you a million times, Takumi, I'm always worried about you. I _hate_ coming home early like this, and I'm sure the bank head is really mad at me, that jerk - but I guess the one to blame is the ones who have been doing all these murders and such."  
"Murders?"  
"Don't be stupid, Takumi," his mother snapped. "I'm obviously talking about the murders that have been done by these animals - first that poor little boy who went to his school -"  
"He wasn't a poor little boy, Mom. He was an idiot, he made fun of me. I'm not sorry for his death."  
"Takumi!"

"Well, I'm not. Just pointing out a fact."

Mrs. Hito ignored him. "And then Larry Felters. He was just trying to help you all. He was protecting innocent children. Poor man. Oh well, at least he died a hero."  
Takumi agreed that Mr. Felters had been innocent, but he wouldn't exactly call him a hero. It wasn't like he had stepped up to Hiamon and Kibamon to stop them from killing the kids. Takumi had been there, and even though he had been a wild Digimon at the time, he still remembered the poor guy looking around in horror and seeing fire and ice coming at him from both directions, and the look on his face when he was hit.

"And then there was that nice boy who was in _your_ class, Takumi. Killed by that fox, as the press said."  
The brown-haired boy sighed. Adamu Kitoaji, the boy who had been killed by the fox, who was yet another Digimon, was not the result of his uncontrollable powers, but by something else. Something that Takumi had been unable to meet and destroy. _The fox._ It was no ordinary fox. Even though he had not been the murderer, guilt ran through his veins, for it was him who had let the fox escape. And if there would be any more killings from the sinister creature, it would be his fault again. He wondered where the evil thing was now . . .

"It's too bad he died," he said sympathetically. Adamu had been annoying when he was living, but he still felt as though he were a close friend, a close friend that could have been saved if he had acted at the right time. "I wish I could have stopped that fox."

Another sip from the coffee. "Don't be silly," his mother folded the newspaper again, trying her best to read it at the same time as talking, "you couldn't have stopped it. And if you had tried -", she shivered - "I don't think I want to imagine what might have happened."  
Takumi imagined it: The fox might have not attacked Adamu, and might not attack the next victim, whoever that person may be. He looked at his mom, and thought about all the other people who he loved. If that Digimon struck them, he would be overwhelmed with guilt and sadness. He could not let that happen.

Mrs. Hito turned on the television. "You know, I've been thinking: Newspapers are nice, but if something has happened within the last hour or so, you wouldn't know until the next morning. What if that fox has struck again?" She turned it to the ONN, the Obligatory News Network, where Jumi Jimbo was reporting.

"We're very sorry that our head reporter, Ryan Royama, is not available today, but replacing him is country legend Neil Peggyson!"

A man with white hair and a cowboy hat to match appeared on the screen, showing his pearly whites - or in this case, yellows. "And now for our top story."  
"Oh, this could be it. Something else that has happened with these strange animals . . ."  
"Hello, all. I'm here to tell you about a little thing called dental FLOSS!"

"Bah!" scoffed Mrs. Hito. "I can't believe this! I hate this newscast, they jump from place to place. Top story indeed!" She poured herself some more coffee. "I'll stick to the news_papers,_ thank you very much." Using the remote control to turn off the news, which was now showing Jumi Jimbo pondering on whether Sunday would be cloudy or sunny, Mrs. Hito sighed and turned the last page of the newspaper.

Takumi, looking for an excuse to get out of the house, looked at the clock in the corner of the kitchen. "Ack! Gotta go," he said, grabbing his gym bag, "to Ryota's house. I've got to talk about him about - today's language arts homework."  
"Have a good time," she said, putting the paper away just as the doorbell rang. "Oh Takumi, will you get that for me?"  
"Sure," was the reply, as he swung the green bag over his shoulders. "Just a sec."

Mrs. Hito was getting something from the cabinets. "I do hope it's not another salesman," she whined, "that salesman yesterday was horrible. Walked right up to my door, said his name was Tekkan Shintaro. Long haired and very ugly. You think they would teach some salesman that they have to look _good_ when they come to the doorstep, but no . . ."  
Takumi walked slowly down the hallway as he heard the bell being rung again. He opened the door, and a man with blonde hair and a white cap appeared to him.

"Good-morning, buddy," said the man, stepping in without asking. Takumi was a bit offended being called 'buddy', old men called him that all the time, he wished they would leave him alone and treat him like a normal human being, rather than a little boy. Well, he guessed that he got what he deserved, for being short.

Takumi's mother came to the door and the man took off his hat and shoes and bowed. "Evening. I presume you are Ms. Airi Hito?"  
"That's right," the lady nodded, looking at him with comfort. He didn't seem to be a salesman. In her opinion, salespeople did not care about their appearance nor their manners and only gave the product they were sponsoring a bad reputation.

Takumi stood by the door, keeping quiet.

"I have come to report to you some sad news, and I regret being the one to tell it to you. However, I hope you will come to find an ounce of good in them -"  
"What do you mean?" Mrs. Hito snapped. "What do you mean, bad news?" She kept Takumi close to her, like a small child. "No one in my family could have died. I had no siblings, and both my parents are already dead. And my husband - well, he died a long time ago. What could you be reporting to me?"  
The man at the door sighed. "I am sorry to bring discomfort to you, Mrs. Hito, and if you'll accept my apology -"  
"Who died?"  
"It was Ikki Enomoto."  
"Ikki Enomoto?" She let Takumi go and looked at him. "The man you used to cut grass for?" 

"That's the one," Takumi nodded. He was a bit shocked over his death; he was not extremely old when he died, only around sixty. Still, it wasn't like he and Mr. Enomoto had been very good friends, he had just been someone to work for.

"Oh," Takumi's mother said sadly, "sorry. But - if you don't mind my asking - what does this have to do with me?"  
The man beamed. "Although the death is very sad, it could have a lot to do with you. As you know, Ikki Enomoto was the son of Henri Enomoto, a very rich doctor, who made a living for himself by creating various drugs. And - all of the money was passed down to Ikki, as his wife had died long ago, and poor old Henri had no children but him. Ikki had no children at all, but he made up his will before he died, and agreed to divide the remaining money with his friends. One of the friends that he includes in his will is Kairu Hito, who I believe is your former husband."

"He's my husband, yes," Takumi's mother nodded. Calling her husband a 'former' made her angry, for she always felt that Mr. Hito was always with them.

"Well, then - that means that the money will be handed over to his family - Ms. Airi Hito and son, Takumi."

Mrs. Hito's eyes widened. "H-how much is the amount?"

The man at the door flashed a grin. "Relatively a lot, ma'am. Here's the sum, as indicated by the will itself."  
He dug into his pockets and pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper. He ironed it with his hands, then held the front of it to Takumi's mother.

The twelve year old boy tried to see it, but he couldn't look past his mom's shoulder. But whatever the sum was, it was obviously very big, for his mother gasped when seeing the amount.

"You're - kidding," she put a hand to her heart. "That's not - t-"

The man flashed another brilliant smile, looking as though he were made to be a celebrity. After watching him smile again, Takumi knew that he must have put caps on his teeth. "I'm afraid it is, Ms. Airi." He put the wrinkled paper back in his pockets and bowed. "We shall be expecting you at Mr. Enomoto's funeral on Sunday, May 7. There will be a ceremony as well to settle out the will." He nodded, then walked quickly back down the stairs, as Takumi stared impatiently at his elder.

"Well?" he asked her. "What of it?"  
Mrs. Hito trembled, and walked, somewhat uneasily, to the counter again, but not before half tripping. Her son followed her.

"What was the amount of money?"  
No reply. She seemed to be putting all of her paperwork in a pile. She continued her work, seemingly unapparent that Takumi was around.

It made him very frustrated to see that he was not getting the appropriate attention. He knew it had to be a great sum of money, but he wanted to know the exact amount.

"Well?" he asked again. "What was it?"  
Mrs. Hito sighed and threw her paperwork in the trash can. Afterwards she intentionally tipped it over, letting the garbage spill out onto the floor. She laughed warmly at the sight or the crumbs, the papers, and the cans on the rug.

"Mom, have you flipped?" To Mrs. Hito, the sight of a disorderly room meant total chaos.

There was no answer. Instead, there was the sound of water running as she filled a glass full of water, then poured the water all over the sink, and some onto the carpet.

"Mom, what is up with you? Why are you doing this stuff? What was the amount?"  
His mother looked down on him for the first time in quite a few minutes and giggled. She got a rag to clean up the soiled rug, and instead of answering, rubbed the carpet clean, and then through the rag in the pile of garbage too.

"Mom," he spoke softly and clearly, "what was the amount?"

Mrs. Hito turned to face him and suddenly seemed to understand him. "Yes?"  
"The amount. What was it?"  
"Oh!" she laughed. "Oh, the amount, yes. You don't know it yet? My, my, that poor postman, I knew that I had ripped that page out of his book, but I didn't know that the lemonade was made with the lime. All sugary."  
"Mom . . . if you don't mind me asking . . . are you drunk?"  
"Drunk? Heavens, no. High, but certainly not drunk. High, like the six hundred million yen that poor old Ikki left for us!" She started to clean up the large pile of trash around her.

(_Author's Notes: Six hundred million yen is around five million US dollars)_  
"Six million - !"

Airi Hito put her face down in her sweater. "Yes! Yes!" she shouted into her clothes. "I - poor Ikki! It's so sad for him to die. But he's so nice, he left us six - six hundred million! Oh my Lord!"

Standing still long enough to let his mother hug him, a sensation of overwhelming power and astonishment came to him. Six hundred million yen. The house in which they lived wasn't even worth half that much.

The woman stopped her long hug to turn around and face her son eye-to-eye. "Takumi," she said, her voice quivering with excitement, "I - I won't have to go to work as much anymore. Heck, I think I can even work half as much time as I used to! And nothing on Saturdays, either." She looked up at the ceiling, and Takumi knew what she was thinking. "If only your father were here to see this. He would be so amazed. But he's with us, never you fear. We're going to move to a larger house - we'll live so much more happier. And I won't feel lost and alone anymore. Right now - and from now on - I'll feel like I'm standing in the light of Kairu."

* * *

"Got your bags packed?"  
"Ryota, I - I really don't think this is the best time to go."  
Takumi stood at the doorstep of Ryota's large house, looking up at the grand quarters. Soon, would he live in a place like this?

Ryota's look transformed from bright and cheery to disgusted. "What do you mean, we can't go? I've got my bags packed all set for tonight, and you heard Miho - she wants us to meet her at her house later. Don't tell me we can't go now!"  
Takumi sighed. "Look, I have things to discuss with you. About the whole group. And I have other reasons for not going."  
"Like what?"  
Upstairs in Ryota's huge room, Shun got out of the closet in which he had been hiding for the day.

"Hello, Takumi," he greeted as they arrived in the room. "Whatcha up to?"  
"Hi, Shun!" said Takumi. "Did you have a good time in the closet?" He snickered.

"Fair," he sniffed. "Been asleep most of the time."  
"_Most_ of the time?" exclaimed Ryota. "When I came home to let you out, I found you snoring."

After Shun vigorously complained over the smell of Takumi's extremely small gym clothes, they lay on the bed watching television while Takumi related the particulars over how his mother had received the six hundred million. Shun whistled at the end of the explanation. "That's a bunch," he stated, standing up. 

"So, just because of that, you don't want to go on the journey, period?" Ryota inferred. 

"No, no, no!" he waved his hands in worry. "That's not what I meant at all. I just think the trip should be - postponed."  
"Until when?"  
"Tomorrow morning."  
"Tomorrow?"  
"Yeah."  
"Why?"  
"Well -" Staring up at the howling fan, he tried to brainstorm a good clarification. "Well, I mean, don't you think it's kind of _stupid_ setting out at sunset? I mean, it'd be cold, it'd be a horrible night, and then we'd wake up in the morning feeling horrible. I think it would be nice to set up early tomorrow morning, when the sun _rises._ That way we can pretend to go to school and our parents won't find anything suspicious. If the others agree, we can go to Miho's house tomorrow morning. Doesn't that sound okay?"

"Yeah!" shouted Shun with encouragement. "That's a great plan! Let's go tomorrow! More sleep!"   
Ryota considered it, and after some thought, found it obvious that it wasn't too smart to set off during the night. After contacting the others and informing them that they would set off in the morning instead of this night ("Hmph!" said Miho, "always on schedule!"), Takumi was bade good-bye.

"See ya, Shun," he whispered as he closed the door to Ryota's room and hustled down the attractive stairs.

"Don't tell me you're leaving!" a feminine voice cried. "Do stay for dinner!"  
The boy turned to see a very pretty woman that he guessed was in her early thirties. Very tall, she wore a pretty dress and was clad in apron, preparing supper, and a gown on her curly blonde hair. This had to be Mrs. Surashi.

"Um . . ." Takumi pondered over the offer. "I suppose I could."  
Ryota sat on the banister of the staircase, grinning.

"Ryota!" his mother called, "Your friend's staying for dinner!"  
"I'm right here, mom!" he shouted back.

She looked up at her son. "You had better get off the poor banister or you'll lose a limb, I'm sure." Then, turning to Takumi, she said, "Sugar, we're having pizza tonight."

"Pizza?" Takumi almost yelled, jumping up and down. "I love pizza! Great!"

Mrs. Surashi smiled brightly, letting her dimples show, then hastened to the kitchen to make the meal.

"It's my mother's own special recipe," Ryota explained, landing off the stairs and coming to his feet. "It's pretty good, I guess."

"You _guess_?"  
"Well, the only part I don't like about it is the pineapple."

At the table, Takumi found it hard to have good manners. The pineapple pizza presented in front of him was not a delightful sight. But if he didn't eat it, he would be confronted with Ryota's parents, who he didn't want to disappoint. Mrs. Surashi was very nice.

Mr. Surashi, who was already on his third slice, leaned over the table and pointed at his fork at Takumi's pizza. "Food is very good," he told him. "Why not you try?"

A bit embarrassed, Takumi held the pizza up to his mouth, and smelt it. It passed the test - if it didn't smell too bad, then it would have to be consumed. After taking a large bite, he was sorry he had. Feeling as though he would choke, he grabbed a glass of water and let the liquid sink down his throat.

"Aah," he could feel his tongue saying. He looked down at his dinner. One bite done, nine to go. At this rate, he would throw up before the meal was through.

"So Takumi," Mrs. Surashi said, and he was glad to be able to do something with his mouth besides eat the pizza, "how is school going?"  
He placed his glass down and tried to think about the perfect score he had received on his math test. "Pretty good, I guess."  
"Well, that's good," replied Ryota's mother, in between sips of wine, "Ryota's grades had better improve sooner or we're going to have to lock him in a cage to work." She laughed at her own joke. "But seriously, Ryota's grades are pretty good. Lots of B's."

"Some A's, too," Ryota inferred, but his father interrupted him:  
"Ah, but lots colleges do not take B students. The area is changing a lot, and you have to make more A's if you want to succeed in your life. Me, I got A's in school, now I own big electronic company." He turned to his guest, Takumi. "You ever buy Surashi electronics?"  
Takumi was startled and didn't know what to answer, he didn't pay much attention to the brand of electronics that he bought, so he said, "Yeah, yeah, I think so."

"See?" Mr. Surashi asked his son. "Only if you do well in school shall you succeed. So, instead of thinking that the future will come later, think that the future is now. So you must act upon it!"  
"Don't worry," eased Ryota. "I already know that what I do now will effect my future." He made an inconspicuous grin at his friend.

"That's right," Mrs. Surashi agreed, dipping the crust of her dinner into a cup of tomato sauce nearby. "And speaking of future, when's the next school dance?"

Ryota swallowed the last bite of his pizza and groaned. "I don't know. Certainly not for a while. Probably in July."  
Mrs. Surashi smiled brightly. "That's wonderful! A summer dance! How romantic!"

Her son almost spewed his water across the table. "Not _romantic_, mother. I can't imagine dancing with a ditzy girl on a buggy summer evening in a gym."  
Ryota's mother laughed, then turned to her husband, who was getting yet another slice of pizza. "It was a summer night the day we meant, weren't it?"  
"Ah," said Mr. Surashi, his eyes twinkling, "'Twas a cool summer night in the days of the Leo. My horoscope in the newspaper told me that I would find great love that day. And so I did, I met you in my favorite Italian restaurant, working as a waiter."

"Oh, Julius! I remember that evening." They looked into each other's eyes for a moment, but Mrs. Surashi, apparently noticing Takumi and Ryota's rather uncomfortable looks, turned her attention to the two boys. "Just be careful who you like, though - try to go for traits, rather than looks." Mr. Surashi's dazzling smile suddenly became fixed.

"But," winked the woman, "I wouldn't say that that girl you went to the dance with - what's her name? - Yuuko - is a bad choice."  
Ryota was about to protest, but his father interrupted him.

"Ah, the old boy's picking up girls like a tornado!"  
The conversation turning to love, Takumi began to think about the girl of _his _dreams - Reina. Although he had tried to forget about it, he could still remember the dark room in which they kissed in - and the potion that he had gave her. He shivered at the thought of her turning into a dreadful monster.

Ryota pointed his fork at his parents as Mr. Surashi sat down at the table again. "I just went out with her because I felt _sorry_ for her! I knew that no other boy would be idiotic enough to go with her, but being the nice guy that I was, I allowed her to go with me."

Takumi grinned. "So that's how it went? By the way you were acting at the dance, I thought she had _threatened _you unless you went out with her!"  
A rare blush appeared on the boy's face. "Just being a - a nice guy! Yes, a nice guy. Poor girl."

Takumi snickered, but Mrs. Surashi's face became serious.

"If you didn't want to go out with her, you should have told her how you felt. No girl wants to go to the dance with a guy who has no feelings with her. And believe me, those relationships turn out to be hazardous. Before you were born, Ryota, I was dating a man who I really felt sorry for, because well, he was - _different_."

The Surashis exchanged glances.

"Had no real feelings for him beyond that," Ryota's mother continued.

"What happened to him?" asked Ryota curiously, while eating some bread.

"Well, he eventually got the message." She gazed at her son across the table. "And don't talk with your mouth full!" she snapped suddenly.

Her son's interest was obviously increasing. After swallowing his food he asked, "But everything's alright? What's he doing now?"  
Mrs. Surashi shrugged, picking up a leftover pineapple with her fork. "I don't know. I'm sure he's found _someone_. We're all met for somebody - one day. It's like lovers were separated at birth, then have to find each other . . . that's why I'm confident that he has someone."  
"What if he doesn't?"

"Well . . ." she sighed, putting resting her head on her hand. "Then I guess I should feel a bit guilty."  
Ryota's father patted her on the shoulder. "There, there. Don't worry about it. From my understandings, he was not very nice. Am I right?"  
Mrs. Surashi sighed again. "He was not the best. He was a bit selfish. But you know. Life goes on. I don't regret making the decision not to marry him."  
Takumi wiped his mouth with his napkin. "He proposed to you?" he asked fascinatingly. He would rather not take part in this conversation, however, he felt that his presence at the dinner table during this little discussion was strange and he did not want the Surashis to feel uncomfortable. 

Mrs. Surashi nodded. "But I refused. I felt we weren't at that stage yet. I'm glad I made that decision." She smiled at her son, who was sipping some water.

Smiling, Julius Surashi set down his glass and commented, "If you had been married to him, I somehow doubt that Ryota here would ever be born."

Ryota grinned.

"Amazing how some decisions can make such big changes," Mrs. Surashi remarked.

"Yeah," agreed Takumi, peering up at the ceiling.

"Which is why you should get your grades up," Mr. Surashi patted his son on the back. "If you don't, you will be in big trouble. Remember, the decisions you make now will have some effect in the long run."

Ryota looked at Takumi, then back at his father and nodded. They both knew the same thing: School, jobs, work . . . they would probably not exist in the place where they were to leave the next morning.

Takumi gazed at Mrs. Surashi, who was cleaning her plate. "But what if you don't make the right decisions?" he asked suddenly. "What if you just do something totally wrong, and that - it makes -"  
"Something in the long run?"  
"Yes, exactly."

"Well," she began, getting up from the table to wash the dishes and fetch some dessert, "I suppose there is always some way to - well - make a decision right again. To change it. Reverse it." She grabbed some cherry Italian ice from the freezer. "If you make a wrong decision, I think it would be best if you try to confront it. And make the best of it."  
"Right," said Takumi, holding onto every word. "Confront it."

After consuming his desert and thanking the Surashis for the dinner, Takumi left the luxurious home and headed out into the night.

* * *  
  
"Let's see . . . 1046 Berry Ridge . . . Berry Ridge . . ."

Takumi looked up at the small, blue house in front of him, then back at the school directory from the previous year that he had borrowed from Ryota. It had been very strange for him to ask for a school directory after the dinner hours; and he was very interested in who he was calling. After a while he finally guessed that he was going to call Reina, and teased him about it in the last few minutes of his visit. 

Now he was visiting another house: Reina Yoshida's. It was hard to find the right neighborhood, and it was getting dark. Twice he got lost, and once he had to ask a man in black for directions. 

It was a sad mistake to turn Reina into a Digimon. Mrs. Surashi had told him to "reverse" his decision, but as far as he knew, there was no reversal for human-Digimon hybrids. If there had been, they probably wouldn't have to deal with the stress of controlling their powers and keeping some big secrets, as well as tracking down the Shadow Gang, the ones who had turned them into these digital freaks.

But he reminded himself constantly that it wasn't the Shadow Gang who had turned Reina into a Digimon - _he_ had done it himself, by snatching up one of their potions. It was he who gave her the potion, made the foolish girl drink it drip by drip . . . and it was he who would have to confront her. It was his fault, and if he got dumped or told on by Reina, it would be his fault. He didn't have the Shadow Gang to blame for this crime. And that's what it was - a crime.

What had made him do it? Reflecting back upon it, he couldn't seem to remember why. Now, Reina would be stuck, possibly forever, as a Digimon - or (he shivered), worse - what if the potion he had swiped not been mixed right? What if she ended up being a human with Digimon parts all over her body? He looked up at the pretty house, which, about a day ago, would seem quite cheery. 

_This was my stupid decision_, he told himself as he climbed the three steps to her door, which seemed more like three-hundred, _I did this myself and I'm going to have to finish it myself._

He stared at his surroundings. The door was painted a brilliant bright red. A plant was kept near the door in a beautifully carved blue vase. A brown wooden sign on the wall read "YOSHIDA" in large capital letters, with a swirl at the bottom.

__

He rang the doorbell, hoping dearly that Reina's mother or father or sibling or whatever wasn't home. They would find it very odd that a boy her age was knocking on the door, asking to see her in private, at a late time of the day.

He waited in suspense for what seemed like hours, but in actuality it was only mere seconds.

No answer.

This time, he knocked on the door four times. Perhaps the Yoshida's doorbell didn't work, though he was sure he heard it ring. 

He waited a minute or two, putting his hands in his pockets, then staring around. The neighborhood was rather small, but he did feel really stupid - as though the neighbors, which was about two-hundred yards away, were pointing and laughing at the little boy with the brown hair, waiting for five minutes at the house with nobody home.

There was a sudden movement within the house, a body coming down the stairs.

Takumi hoped with all his heart that the one who answered the door was not anybody else but Reina.

To his relief, a curtain near the door opened and he saw Reina's eye through the window. She looked surprised to see him, but she opened the door and allowed him in.

"Takumi - Takumi, what are you doing here?" she asked, as her boyfriend took off his shoes and put them on the welcome mat. "I'm not allowed to have guests."

He looked up at her in worry while he took off his right shoe. "What do you mean? Are your parents home?"  
Reina looked around, as though someone was watching her. "No," she replied. "That's why. They left me here so they could go to my older brother's basketball game. I'm not allowed to have friends over when they're not home."

"I understand," nodded Takumi, "but this is urgent. I need to be here."

"Well, _I _don't have a problem with you being here. Just make sure my parents don't find out."

They looked into each other's eyes for a moment. An awkward silence.

Reina spoke first. "Takumi, I need to know what you gave me to drink yesterday. What was it?"  
He grinned, best he could, as this was a very serious situation. He had to bring it up just the right way, and make sure Reina was as comfortable as possible. "Do you like animals, Reina?"

"Uh -"

There was yet another strange pause.

"Takumi, um . . . just wondering . . . was that potion, like . . ."

"Like what?"

"A - well, you know how sometimes, the -" She blushed. "You know, like it was some kind of . . ."

"Potion?"  
"Yeah . . . you know, those potions that -" her face was about as red as Takumi's D-Monster. "The potions that, put women - 'in the mood'?"  
Takumi could have jumped in surprise. Whatever he thought she was going to say, it wasn't that. "No!" he spewed, waving his hands in exclamation. "No! Of course not!" He regained calm in a second. "You know I would never do that to you." The conversation was not going the way he wanted to. Looking back on the minute before, he realized he should have not the topic sentence involve 'animals'. He put his hands in his pockets, trying to think up something, but all he could come up with was:  
"I mean, do you like animals, literally?"  
Reina shrugged. "Yeah. Well, it depends on what kind."

He nodded. "Well - what kind of animals do you like?"  
Reina shrugged again. "Well, let me think -" then, changing the subject, she said, "You must be very hungry. Here, let me get you some food."  
"That's alright!" Takumi snapped. "I already had dinner." He tried to change the subject around again. This was important, and if the Yoshidas got home before he explained, he would be in big trouble the next morning.

"You sure?" Reina pushed back her brown hair. "Hamburgers, freshly grilled?"  
He had to refuse, but with that horrible home-made pineapple pizza for his supper, it wasn't an easy offer to give up.

"So," he said, getting things back on the track, "what animals do you like?"  
Reina counted some on her fingers. "Raccoons . . . dogs (mom's allergic to them, so we can't have them) . . . giraffes . . . horses . . . turkeys . . ."  
"Okay," he nodded, hoping desperately that the potion he had given her would turn her into a Digimon of that breed. "What if you could _become_ that animal . . . what would you say if you could, say, transform into that animal anytime you wanted?"  
Giggling, Reina replied, "It would be cool!"

Takumi grinned. The conversation was now officially going the way he wanted it to go. Even better, Reina might _like_ the gift of becoming a Digimon. Now, all that was left to explain was the shock of being able to turn into one. This was the hardest part, so he had to approach this one even more carefully.

"And -" he began, leaning on her comfy couch, "what would you say if I told you, right now, that you could turn into those animals?"

After drinking some cola, the girl replied, "I would probably marry you. Of course, if it was temporary. It would be fun to be an animal." Then, turning to him, she asked, "What's your point?" in a very non-offensive way.

Takumi smiled at her. "What if I told you that that drink that I gave you gave you special powers?"  
"Special powers?"  
"Yes. Some that could turn you into a Digi - I mean, an animal."

Reina eyed him suspiciously. "I would be amazed. But come on, what's your point? Why are you asking me this? Not to be mean, or anything -"

Takumi edged toward the counter where she was eating. "I'm asking you this, because it's real. I bet you can turn into an animal, right now."

His girlfriend put down her aluminum can and gave him a comical look. She almost looked as though she would burst into laughter.

"Well, how, exactly, would I turn into an animal? What would I do?" She was grinning.

_She thinks it's just a big joke,_ he sighed. _How am I going to show her that this is reality we're talking about, not some prank? _

"Well," he began, "first, you would have to get angry."  
"Angry?"  
"Yeah. Like, hating somebody, or feeling lousy, or whatever -"

Reina giggled, then jumped from the stool that she was sitting on. "I hate you, Takumi!" she made a disgusted face and sniffed. "I hate everything about you. You're so stupid. You're so stupid. Get away from me!" She made an action with her hands, as though she were doing freestyle swimming. Wildly, she ran towards him. He spun to the side quickly, making Reina narrowly avoid collapsing into the wall.

"Um . . . I'm not very good at being angry," she confessed, giggling.

"Duh . . . okay. Well, I'm sure you could think up _something _that you're mad at."  
Shrugging, she said, "I don't know. I'm not usually very angry. Unless it's over bad grades."

"Which you hardly get," pointed out Takumi.

Reina nodded, checking her black wristwatch. "Eight o' clock," she read. "My parents should be home in about eighteen minutes." Looking up at him, she said, "I think it might be best if you go home soon. I'll be in _huge_ trouble if they find you here."  
Takumi laughed. "_That_ will be something to get angry about!"

"Yeah," agreed Reina.

A pause. Takumi looked into the girl's eyes.

"You - you don't think I'm kidding, do you?"  
"About - about what?"  
"You know, the transforming thing."

Looking down at her shoes, Reina replied: "Am I _supposed_ to take it seriously? I mean, you know it's not real."  
The room appeared to seem darker, and the birds outside the house stopped their beautiful songs. "It's real, Reina," he explained. "I can do it. And that potion I gave you - now I think you can do it to. You'll be able to turn into an animal."

It was hard to tell if Reina was impressed or not. Judging from her face, she seemed almost confused.

"Literally?" she asked.

"Yes. Literally. _Really_. Here. I have proof." He dug into his pockets and held out his bright red D-Monster. A chain came from it, which allowed the user to attach it to his belt or piece of clothing. What seemed like a plastic cage was on it's LCD screen.

"So?" said Reina, a bit confused. "What kind of proof is that?"  
"It's everything," explained Takumi quietly. "Look - if you press a button, I'll turn into an animal."  
Reina looked slightly awkward, as though this were a big joke. However, she held out her hand, neared the button, and -

"Don't!" shouted Takumi. "Don't. If you touch it, I'll turn into a huge dragon! I'd probably go through the roof!"

Suddenly, there was a burst of laughter emitted from Reina. Takumi, slightly offended, stepped back.

"What's so funny?" he demanded. "It's real!"  
But the girl continued to laugh. The boy wondered if she would ever stop. He looked at the clock. 8:05. If this kept up, he would never be able to show her!  
"Do you believe me, or not?" he asked harshly. "This isn't funny. I'm trying to be serious here."

Reina abruptly stopped laughing. Her eyes filled with sadness at Takumi's exasperated tone. "I'm sorry, Takumi," she apologized. "It's just - it's just - I don't know what to think. Please, tell me, is it real?"

Takumi let out a hand for her to grasp, which she quickly did. They stood in the dark hallway, motionless for a second, looking into each other's eyes. Takumi said, narrowing them:  
"You have got to believe me. It's real. Please. You can trust me. It's very, very, real." His voice softened. "You do believe me, right?"

Reina nodded, her face serious. "Yes."

"I made a mistake. A very big mistake. Turning you into an animal - it wasn't supposed to happen. I don't know what went through me."  
He looked at her. "I want to help you. Now, please - can you think of something - _anything_ - that makes you mad?"  
Their hands loosened and finally fell apart, as Reina turned away. "Yes," she said, quietly. "I do remember something that makes me mad - and equally sad." She sniffed, and wiped her nose on her sleeve.

"What?"  
She stopped crying and faced her boyfriend. Slowly, she asked, "Did you ever hear about the snipers of 1964*?"  
Shaking his head sadly, he replied, "No."

"Then you must know," she said, a tear trickling down her face, "that - my grandmother was one of the victims. There were three of them. They lived around Osaka. Didn't like the economy. So they started shooting people around the area. Twenty-four in all, before one killed himself, and another turned himself and the other in. But not before they got my grandmother." She sniffed. "She was shot. Shot - in the head. There was no chance of living. She died about an hour later." There seemed to be a burning pain in her throat, for she couldn't speak clearly, but she forced herself to say: "I never knew my grandmother - all because of them." Silence for a moment, except for Reina's cries.

Takumi, who did not know how to deal with weeping girls, put a hand on her shoulder. Reina put her arms around him and they embraced in a long, warm hug.

"I wish there was some way that I could go back in time - and get her," she moaned, as their hug ended. "It's not right. I wish it were different."

Her sobs continued as Takumi closed his eyes, sympathetic for his girlfriend.

"I wish I could have stopped those idiots," she managed to speak, through tears, "then I would see my grandmother." She wiped her eyes. "My - mom always said that I looked like her. I would _love_ to see her, but I can't." A chance in her voice came. "All because of them!" She stomped her foot. Becoming quieter, she said, "It's all because of them. All their fault. It's the world's fault." She swallowed, then grasped her throat. It was red. "It's like my throat is burning," she spoke, taking her hand away and peering at it. "It - it's so painful!"  
She dropped to the floor on her hands and knees.

"Reina!"  
Takumi stood down and held her hand, trying to hold her up, but she wrenched her hand out of his reach and shook her head.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly.

"No!" she moaned. "Something's wrong. Help me, Takumi!"

"Reina, please, be okay -" He jumped forth to try to lend her a hand, but instinctively jumped back when she glowed a bright red color. Her body widened, all except her legs, which seemed to narrow. Her head became more oval-shaped, and she shrank a few inches.

"This is it!" said Takumi to himself as he covered his eyes from the blinding light.

Reina's long hair seemed to grow into her body, covering it with thick fur. Ears perked up and became triangular shaped. A long, bushy tail appeared at her rear.

He felt the whole house shake as the glowing ceased, and in the growing darkness, in Reina's place, stood -

Takumi gasped.

The fox.

"Suraiimon!" the creature cried, in Reina's voice - but much raspier. The voice made Takumi's hair stand up on end.

"It can't be," he whispered to himself. But it had to be. The long, ginger tail. The same markings around the eyes. The brilliant red color. Sleek, yet large, body. It was the same exact fox - the one that had killed Adamu Kitoaji only two days before. Even that sense, the sense that a Digimon was nearby, was there. No mistaking it. He cringed in fear, making a getaway for the door -

"Not so fast!" shouted the fox creature, making a long jump that would be considered by some a glide. It landed right in front of his hopeful exit. "You made me have this pain, now you will have to endure it as well!"

Takumi, realizing that his time was short, looked around him. There was still the back door, and perhaps a garage door on the side.

In an instant, he turned around and zoomed towards the door at the opposite side. He guessed that he could have been running faster than the fox - but that was proved wrong, as he could hear it's feet hitting the floor rapidly, in hot pursuit of her new victim.

_If I can only make it,_ he thought, as he reached the door and felt the knob - and turned around to see the fox in front of him, running at full speed.

"No way!" he shouted, as the creature made a huge jump, claws out, about to impact with Takumi's body. Deep down inside, he knew that there was no way to get out the back door on time. There was the trouble of turning the knob, and even outside he wouldn't be safe.

He ducked just as the fox would have impacted with the boy's body.

"No!" shouted the animal, as it made an inaccurate landing, dropping to the scratched-up floor in a little heap - which bided Takumi some more time.

"See ya!" he shouted back, as he rounded the corner to the door to the garage. Fortunately, one existed - he turned the knob and headed out the screen door, not waiting to close it behind him. He breathed heavily as he ran down the three steps, turned the corner, and dove for the open entrance to freedom -

"Hraw!"  
An animal growl echoed in the darkness of the big garage. The fox Digimon, Suraiimon, landed in between him and his last exit.

He gasped. "How!?" he demanded.

Looking up, he found his answer - the mischievous creature had not waited to turn the knob and race down the steps, it had jumped right through the screen door.

The fox Digimon stepped forwards, threatening the boy with her sharp claws. Takumi stepped back, until he found his back against the wall. Shrinking down beside it, he realized his forthcoming doom . . .

A glitter in his pocket.

Of course! He had forgot all about it! How stupid of him! This fox would be no match for Hiamon.

"You're in big trouble," Takumi grinned, holding up his red D-Monster triumphantly and stepping up to the creature, who was surprised at his sudden burst of courage.

The animal growled something indistinguishable and, to Takumi's astonishment, made a wild leap at him.

"Don't!" he shouted, but it was too late, Suraiimon had clawed the device right out of his hand. His last hope - gone.

Realizing that his last minutes had to be used wisely, he held his guard up. If he was going to die now, he wasn't going to die cowering near a wall, he was going to die like a man.

"Come and fight me!" Takumi dared the fox Digimon, who didn't even look up. She was too busy fumbling with his D-Monster -

"No!"

He didn't know what made him to it, but perhaps it was just instinct - Suraiimon wasn't going to completely destroy his device, his possible very last way of surviving. He jumped right at the fox, his arms out, ready to intercept the D-Monster. He landed on his side beside the creature, who suddenly became more interested in him than the device. 

Growling fiercely, the animal examined Takumi, whose body was limp with pain after his rough landing. The device - it was right beside him - he had to grab it -

He strained, but he was sure his arm had broken upon impact. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the animal shining it's claws, ready for another kill.

The scene would be just like the one at the gym - Adamu on the floor, shielding his eyes, knowing what would come. Blood consumed the floor upon the fox's attacks. And now, Takumi knew, that was what was going to happen to him - his body would be discovered in this garage - the news would cover it, Reina, the girl who had mysteriously disappeared, would be accused with the death. Everyone would be searching for her, Reina, also known as the wild fox Digimon. And Takumi Hito would be dead.

_No,_ he said to himself, _it will not happen._

"Urgh!"  
The tips of his fingers reached the little device. If only he could bring himself to move, to reach it -

He felt the little key chain it had, then brought it closer to him as Suraiimon closed down her massive claws on Takumi's lame body - 

"Sorry, foxy!"  
He held the D-Monster in the animal's face and pressed the top button.

"Hiamon!"  
An orange dragon, about three times larger than Takumi, replaced the small boy, as the mammal's claws impacted into the reptilian skin. The pain was not there. The claws only hurt slightly, like a light pinch on the arm.

Hiamon stood up (which made Suraiimon fall backwards), his arm still hurting, but feeling much better.

After delivering a "don't-mess-with-me" type of growl, the fox dove for the dragon, claws out, as usual.

But Hiamon, now confident in his fighting skills, ceased the mammal from the tail, spun slowly around, picking up speed, then tossed the creature in the corner of the garage. It moaned for a moment. A huge hole dented the wall, and a piece of the material fell on it's head.

The fox stretched, growled at the dragon again, hurt, but ready to prove her strength in the time of this sudden crisis.

"Sidewinder Claw!"

Suraiimon's claws shot out like darts, another set soon replaced them. But the former pair spun into a loop, like a tornado, right at Hiamon.

"Flame Rain!"  
Flames poured from the great dragon's large pair of wings, the flares dropping the claws right out of the sky. They fell to the floor. Fire soon enveloped in the area that it had struck. Smoke came from the small place, then some other areas got caught in the flame, forming a line of fire between him and the murderous fox.

Hiamon jumped back. At this rate, the whole garage would be a roaring volcano. He turned his attention to Suraiimon, on the other side of the blaze, who looked around in confusion, trying to find an exit. There was none, and the wall that separated the two of them was too great for the fox to jump.

The dragon watched in horror as a rope leading to the top of the garage got caught in it. Flames sizzled up like a man on a ladder, until the ceiling became an area of caution as well.

Suraiimon began to realize that her life was at stake. She cowered into a corner like Takumi had done previous, pitifully. The creature roared, but quickly understood that the flames did not have minds and would not stop at the sound of a growl.

"Reina!" Hiamon shouted in a gruff voice. The villainous figure, deep down inside, was the sweet girl who Takumi liked. The murderer had to be saved. It didn't matter anymore - she was his friend.

The fox coughed, the smoke was getting to her. She was suffocating until the dark blanket, and Takumi knew that death would reach her before the flames did if he did not act. Suraiimon walked around in a circle for a moment, then closed her eyes, as though she was going to sleep.

Hiamon flew to the small area in which she was trapped, and landed in the flames, but his reptilian body could stand the heat and the burns. As long as Reina was safe, he would be okay. He lent her a hand - and this time the hand was accepted. He closed her in his arms, rubbing her sleek body, watching as the flames closed in.

"Argh!"

Picking up speed, he flapped his wings. The flames died down a bit as the dragon left the ground, performed a back flip while keeping the fox in his arms, his horn smashing itself into the wall, sending the material flying everywhere, until he found himself outside in the backyard of the Yoshida home, a huge hole through what was once part of the garage. Hiamon's bare feet touched the cool grass of the evening, and viewed his surroundings. A forest rose at the end of the girl's backyard. Nodding to himself, he flapped his wings once more, and soon found himself flying over the treetops. After finding a place from prying human's eyes, he landed in the middle of the woods, setting the body of Suraiimon down in front of him.

He pressed the button of his D-Monster with his long, thick claws, and turned back into a boy - Takumi Hito. His brown eyes stared down at the limp body of the poor fox. It looked so delicate, and now he saw not a murderous demon, but finally found the beauty and warmth of the graceful animal's appearance.

"I'm sorry I failed you, Reina," he apologized, crouching down on his knees beside the beautiful creature. "This is all my fault." He rubbed her body admirably, smiling at the attractive animal.

"Huh?" He stopped rubbing the animal as it seemed to change colors.   
A glow of red. Suraiimon's rather curved ears became human-like again, her long tail disappeared, legs widened, the body shrank, back into a girl - Reina Yoshida.

Takumi rubbed her limp body again, as she opened her blue eyes.

"W-where am I?"  
She sat up, Takumi placing a hand on her shoulder. Reina looked around to see the forest staring back at her.

"Oh!"

She grabbed the boy's shoulders and hugged him, seeming to remember distantly what had happened only moments before. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, the hug lasting longer than Takumi had expected. "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright," was the reply.

Stopping the embrace, she looked into his eyes, and said, "Takumi, you're a jerk. A real jerk. But - thanks." She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, a long, sweet kiss, which was even better and longer than the previous one.

Reina stood up quickly after ending it, and turned around, not facing Takumi. "What happened?" she asked, holding her hands together. "What did I do over there?"  
He grinned. "It's alright, now. Though you almost killed me. But - I'm just glad you're alright." He tried to put a hand on her shoulder, but she jumped away.

"No," she said quietly, the winds howling as the evening grew darker. "No. I - I can't believe this. It's impossible. I can't - I can become a fox - what will my friends say?"  
Takumi's face became serious. "I'd rather be thinking about what your _parents_ are going to say."  
Reina gasped, holding her hands together tightly. "No," she whispered. "No . . . my - my parents! Oh my gosh - oh my gosh -"  
"Don't worry," assured Takumi "you're safe now -"

"No, I am not safe now!" Reina snapped. "I - I'm in danger. My parents will come home and kill me. I can remember - the garage - I set fire to the garage!"

"No, you didn't, _I _-"  
"I don't care who did it! The point is that I can't go back home, I can't go back to school, I -" Her eyes became full of tears. "I can't do anything anymore!" She fell to the ground voluntarily. "There's no way! No!"  
Takumi sighed in sympathy. "Reina - I'm sorry -"  
"Be quiet, Takumi!" she sobbed. "This is all your fault!" Covering her hands with her face, she said, muffled: "What am I supposed to do now?"  
Her boyfriend stepped forward. "I - I guess that you - you can come with me tomorrow morning -"  
"Oh please!" she shouted back at him. "I don't want to have anything to do with you. In fact, I hate you! You're so selfish."  
Takumi looked down at his shoes. If only he could go back in time a few hours and reverse this silly idea of his. "I -" He screwed up his courage. "I guess I'm a little selfish, but I did it because - because -"  
"Because why?" she demanded, sobbing into her hands.

"Because I love you. And I really -"

"You're a real jerk!" she shouted back at him, rolling over in despair. But these words seemed to have an effect on her, and she quieted down.

The darkness of night began to fall on the little forest. Looking up at the starry sky, which was partially covered up because of the large tree branches, Takumi thought it was hard to get to sleep with all the noises made from insects, frogs, and other species.

And yet, he was able to think with all this. The amount of money in the will - leaving his mother - starting a new life - it would be very strange and sad, and somewhat scary. And another question was raised. How was the fox Digimon also Reina Yoshida? The potion must have contained it's data. But that meant that the Suraiimon that killed Adamu had died. Or perhaps it was a completely different fox altogether? His brain was racked. But eventually his eyes became heavy and his brain stopped, and, after adjusting to the grassy forest, fell into sleep.

Hours passed before he awoke. To his surprise, the area was now quiet, except for the sounds of nearby sobs. A few yards away from him lay Reina, trying to get herself to sleep.

After stretching his tired arms for a bit, he walked on all fours to Reina, who was rolled over and crying into her hands, like before.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her. "I love you, Reina. Really. And if you want me to prove it to you -"  
"Go away!" she cried, turning over again.

Takumi sighed and walked back to his spot, watching the girl and knowing that he had made a huge mistake, and corrected it, in the past twenty-four hours. Things weren't the best, and it was another thing to worry about, but it felt good to have made the right decision. _Now_, he thought, laying down, _if only I hadn't eaten that terrible pineapple pizza._

_Next time on Digimon Genesis!_

The Genesis team sets out on a new journey . . . and yet there's a traitor waiting for them in the darkness. Could it be Ryota, who states that he's beginning to feel awkward? Or perhaps Miho, because of the relationship with her mother? Is it Shun, who is finally released from his closet prison? Or perhaps Naoki or Yuka, who might only appear nice on the inside? Or could it possibly be Reina, the newest - and maddest - member? Find out next time on Digimon Genesis, when the traitor is finally revealed and the discovery of the Shadow Gang becomes even closer than ever:  
  
ISCARIOTISM

*This event, while similar to the recent shootings of the D.C. sniper, is not in any way connected. My heart goes out to the victims, and their families and friends.

_Please read and review this chapter, as I spent a LOT of time on it ^_^ Sorry about the low amount of updates. It's just been school and other associated things. I hope you like this one, and I promise I'll get the next one out sooner, as well as that Special Chapter Part 3 - soon! I promise!_

  



	20. Iscariotism

_This chapter is dedicated to everyone who lost their lives on the doomed Columbia shuttle, their friends, and their relatives. May God bless them all._

Author's Notes, and stuff that you're probably not going to read:

_Let's see - the fic is progressing slowly. But you'll find that during ending chapters of a saga, there will have to be much revision and editing involved. You know, so I don't slip out, and everything comes out the way it should._

The Special Chapter Part 3 came out last month - it was added to the Chapter 17: Revenge of the Dragon page. For all who didn't see it, head on over there now! It's not required reading, but if you're bored and want to pass the time, there's nothing better to do than read a fan fic! That, or watch television . . .

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon, but I sure could go for a Big 'N Tasty from McDonald's! Go ahead, it's cheap and delicious, high in fat, certainly not nutritious! Go on! It's good to eat while you read fan fiction, no matter what those weight-loss ads say! So if you haven't all ready and if it's not too late, go down to McDonald's and get a Big 'N Tasty! 

Vegetarian, eh? Then you'll love McDonald's fries! Crisp, mouth-watering, and tasty, McDonald's has all you need!

Okay, I'm done now. No, seriously, I'm really done. You can read the fan fic now.

Oh wait, one more thing, and on a serious note this time: I haven't actually seen any confusion over this subject, but here's the deal, if anyone gets these two characters mixed up, since they have similar names and such:

Yuuko Waterfield - Age 12, girl that Ryota went to the dance with, a teacher's pet and in Takumi's class.

Yuka Hamada - Age 9, girl that can transform into Mikemon. Is "good friends" with Naoki.

Please note that this chapter contains some questionable language. Unnecessary language, yes, but when you're really mad, it's expected, and since I'm trying to make these characters seem as real as possible, it's going to have to be used.

Thank you. Now the fic:

_Previously on Digimon Genesis!  
Takumi had dinner at Ryota's house, where they had a nice dinner-table talk about love! Speaking of love, love hurts! Takumi arrived at Reina's house to tell her that she can become a Digimon before it was too late, but he was in the wrong place at the wrong time! By making Reina mad, he found himself face-to-face with the deadly fox Digimon that had killed Adamu Kitoaji! Or was it the same? There were no time for questions, as the vicious fox didn't hesitate to strike! Luckily, Takumi evolved to Hiamon and was able to prevail over the fox Digimon, Suraiimon. After setting fire to the house, Takumi and Reina escaped to the wilds of the woods, where almost no one would find them. It was growing dark, and so they went to sleep, Reina mad at Takumi - seemingly for life!  
_

Gosh, sure is easy to do summaries. Oh wait, I skipped a few parts! Tons of hints to the Shadow Gang in that one, so go for a brief reread if you think you might have overlooked something . . .

And now for Chapter 20!

****

DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER XX  
ISCARIOTISM

Ryota Surashi lay asleep in his bed, dreaming of those people. Those mysterious people that came to his house occasionally, in the quiet evening, to check on him. They were talking now, those people, laughing about something, except he noticed that there were only two of them this time.

He gasped and sat upright on his bed. It wasn't a dream! Two men, shielded by darkness so Ryota couldn't see their faces, were standing by his bedside, one with a potion in his hand. The Shadow Gang! If only he could see their features . . .

"Give him another batch, Stone," chuckled one of the members, a masculine voice. "We can't let him see us." This man seemed to take Ryota's sudden awakening rather calmly, but the man he had been speaking to was scared out of his wits.

The nervous one seized something that looked like a jar, then opened it . . .

"AHH!" Ryota gasped as a blinding light filled the area. He fell onto his pillow, still awake, but just barely. It was almost exactly like a dream, now . . . able to make out the plot and the people, but everything else seemed faded and strange. But he could still, just barely, make out their voices . . .

"Please don't try anything - well, bad, Shadow," spoke one of the men.

"Oh, you worry too much, Stone."  
_Shadow, Stone!_ Ryota thought. His mind raced. He had heard these names before . . . but where? It was pain; torture - he knew what they were, but memory failed him. It was like his mind went blank.

"They're ready, Stone," spoke Shadow. "I know they are. They're smarter than what we first comprehended."

Stone shook his head. "It's not a matter of intelligence, sir, but - are you sure? It's a huge power jump! If something goes wrong . . ."

Shadow glared at his partner. "I have been in charge of this operation since day one. I've made sure that nothing has gone wrong. There is no reason to believe -"  
Stone seemed to lose control at this. "What are you talking about? Have you lost your mind? Three deaths have already happened because of Project Genesis, and you're still not proceeding a bit slower! If we are to carry out this operation, why can't we do someone else? Like Naoki Reda, the boy who we-"

Shadow rolled his eyes. "We don't need Specimen 8901 anymore. He's just not powerful enough, we chose the wrong one, we -"  
Stone made a noise like an astonished growl. "How dare you talk about them in that way!? Specimen 8901, what kind of crap is that? You still don't understand! They're real people, not projects! They have feelings, friends, _family_ - we can't just take it away just like _that!_ We -"  
"And ditch the whole plan, Stone?" asked Shadow furiously. "Is that what you want? Do you want to stop this? About fifteen years of work, flushed down the toilet? This is what everything's been leading up to, and I have confidence in Project Genesis. The beginning - the start of something big. That's why we must follow through. We can't cower away from this - like you did at first, Stone."

Stone sighed, knowing that he couldn't win a fight against his boss. "I don't know," he said sadly. "It's just, they're so young. They've hardly lived. You can't just let them live like this. I mean, think - they'll be separated from their families for a long time."  
"Sometimes sacrifices have to be made. They'll just have to get adjusted to new things."  
"New things," muttered Stone, then, speaking louder: "You're the real king of teaching children how to cope with that. You believe that one could just - _adjust_, as you call it - to whatever happens, no matter how big or how little the matter is."

"Stone, you don't understand -" Shadow's counter, however, abruptly ended when Stone almost jumped, shouting angrily.

"Tell me, Shadow. How does it feel to know that you're in control of a huge operation, which might control the fate of mankind? Later, in the future, what do you think the history books would say? Would you like for them to point out that you allowed children to turn into monsters and kill people? That you didn't really care about their own future? That you even abandoned your own son?"

Shadow turned around and looked murderous. "That does it! Are you trying to say that I'm a bad man?" he asked angrily. "Is that what you're saying, _Stone_ - or should I say -"  
"Be quiet, be quiet, be quiet! He's waking up!" Stone whispered. "Quick - he needs another dose - _fast!_ - we'll discuss this later -"  
Shadow picked up the jar again and shined it in Ryota's face, and he felt even less conscious than he had before. Feeling extremely exhausted, he lay back into his pillow into a deep sleep . . .

* * *

Takumi rolled over on his back and felt the cool morning grass. Stretching, he realized that he was not at home in his bed. It took a while for him to remember the events of the previous night . . . and Reina . . .

He glanced to his side. Surely enough, the girl was sleeping soundly, though a look of severe stress was written on her usually happy, cheerful face.

Takumi didn't blame her. Just yesterday night she had learned that she could transform into a digital monster, and a powerful one at that, for the very fox Digimon that she turned into - Suraiimon - had killed a student at their school just days earlier. She would have almost killed Takumi too, had it not been for skillful moves as Hiamon on his part.

Worst of all, Reina had no digivice - therefore she would be unable to control her powers, and the slightest tinge of anger might turn her into a murderous beast. And if she evolved a second time, Takumi didn't count on beating her easily.

After a deep sigh, the boy crawled over to where Reina was resting, feeling the dew between his fingers. Leaning over her tired face, he said: "I love you, Reina. I hate to see you this way." He looked up at the sun peering in from the branches of the trees, took a deep breath - "Reina, you're special to me, and I don't want to lose you over this silly Digimon thing, so please - I -"

Suddenly, the girl opened her eyes.

Takumi leaned back, a bit startled. He could confess to her much better when she was asleep, but when she was awake it would be hard to say what he meant.

Reina Yoshida sat up, staring around the forest. She brushed off her arms, which were covered with dew. "W-Where am I?" she asked, standing up and gazing up at the morning sun. Realization dawned on her. "Now I remember!" she shouted, pointing at Takumi. "You! You bastard!" 

Takumi almost jumped, astonished at her choice of words. He had never felt this bad, never, in his life . . .

"I - I'm sorry . . ." he stuttered, saying the first thing that went to his mind. But he knew this wasn't enough. Paying her the fortune that his mother had just inherited probably wouldn't be enough.

"Yeah, sure!" she shouted back at him sarcastically. "Sure you're sorry! You know, you should have thought about the consequences before you did this. I'm the one who's sorry! I'm -"  
"Reina, please, I -" but the boy was cut off.

"I'm the one who's sorry!" Reina repeated. "I'm sorry I ever drank that stupid thing. If I had any common sense I would've asked what the hell it was! And if you had any common sense, you would've asked _me_ before you turned me into a warped - beast! What were you thinking!?"  
"I -" Takumi stared down at his shoes, looking extremely pitiful, then peered up at the treetops again. He could look at anything but Reina's face - it hurt so much to remember someone as happy and cheerful, always smiling - and then watch them, days later, transform like a human into a Digimon, into a sinister, foreboding person. "I really don't know what I was thinking," he confessed, staring at the dead leaves on the forest floor. Had someone been watching him it would seem as though he were talking to the Earth.

"Well, _that's_ obvious," Reina said coolly, turning around and crunching the leaves on the ground. "I can't stand you, Takumi. Good-bye."

Finding himself looking at Reina's back, he forced himself to learn - what _had_ he been thinking? Was he expecting her to take this well? How could he? Why hadn't he thought through? Instead of leaving the girl behind, happy and cheerful, he was not going to take Reina with him - angry and cold. 

It then occurred to him . . .

"Wait!" he called, dashing to her. The girl turned around, still looking the same way she had seconds before - undeniably mad. 

"What?" she asked furiously, kicking a dead leaf.

Takumi sighed. "Reina - the reason I did all of this - the reason why I turned you into a Digimon - is because . . . because . . ."

Not amused, the girl stared at him impatiently. "So? What?"  
"Because . . . I love you."

Feeling as though a light from heaven was shining on him, he placed his hands on Reina's shoulders and . . .

She slapped him across the face. "Get away from me, you sick freak!" she shouted, stepping away from him, Takumi rubbing his hands over his red cheek. "You _love_ me? You're a jerk, Takumi. You don't even know what love is. It isn't people dancing with each other, or hugging, or kissing . . . it's not any of those things. It's a deep care of someone . . . a bond - with someone who cares about you just as much."

Takumi felt like he had been trampled by twelve donkeys and then slapped in the eyes with a whip, finishing it off with eating one hundred red peppers at one time. He could feel tears coming to his eyes, and a horrible burning sensation in his throat, which only made the tears worse . . .

_No, _he vowed, _I won't cry. Not in front of her. Not in front of Reina. I don't need her. She doesn't know anything. _She's_ the one who doesn't know about love. She's wrong. Wrong._

But then he faced the truth: She was right. It felt as though his soul, his very heart, was sinking out of his body. It was the worst kind of pain imaginable, he would rather have his face split in two with a knife.

Reina, apparently, did not heed the horrifying features on Takumi's face. If she had, she would've noticed a deep and terrible pain, and would have rushed to his aid in an instant. But instead, she continued on:  
"I knew you liked me, Takumi, from the start. I tried to avoid you. I didn't want to hurt your feelings . . . but I couldn't, Takumi. When you asked me to the dance, I was so startled . . . I didn't know what to do. I had pity on you. You, the boy who always got the bad grades in social studies and didn't have much friends. I couldn't say no. I agreed."

Takumi didn't want to hear this, but the words didn't stop coming . . .

"Over the days, I started to think," Reina said, rather softly. "You weren't as bad as I thought you would be. In fact, when we were dancing . . . I felt that we were made for each other. Slowly, you evolved to become something I cared for. If only you had cared for me as much as I had for you! Then things would be better. Oh, Takumi, why didn't you ask me? Why didn't you think before you acted?" She sniveled, wiping a tear from her eyes. "Why don't you care about what happens to me? Why are you so selfish?"

Now this made Takumi a bit mad. He couldn't take this any longer; now it was his turn to speak. "I'm not selfish!" he shouted fiercely. "If I was selfish, why would I -"

Looking down at his shoes, he discovered the truth: _I'm selfish. It's the truth. _He hadn't been thinking about Reina when he had turned her into a Digimon, he realized. He only did it so that Reina would accompany him on the trip to another place in the world, where humans weren't so populous. When he had asked her to drink it, he hadn't cared about the effect it might have on the girl's life, on the world . . . he had only worried, through the whole process - about himself.

_How is it an injustice,_ he thought, _to tell me I don't understand about love? Because I don't. I don't know anything about it . . . but now I know. If I could travel back in time and prevent the potion from entering Reina's body, I would. But I can't. I've brought this upon myself. I can't argue anymore. I just have to deal with it. If anything in the world happens to me by the will of my selfish mind, then so be it!_

"REINA!"

A shout in the wilderness interrupted his thoughts. Birds flew from their nests in the trees, fearing the sound. Takumi wished he could flee too; because if the voice didn't come from him, and it certainly didn't belong to Reina, that meant that someone else was in the area besides them.

Reina, however, seemed delighted. Her eyes lighted up, Takumi wished he could have received that look minutes ago . . .

"REINA!" a deep voice called out. The sound echoed throughout the walls of the beautifully-lit forest, warning more birds away from their homes.

"Daddy!" Reina said to herself happily. Holding out her arms as though to hug someone, the girl dashed through the forest, in the direction of the voice.

Takumi got wind of what was going on. "Reina!" he shouted softly, for if someone besides Reina heard him they may think it suspicious and come chasing them. Reina did not come back, nor realize what kind of danger he and she would be in if she did.

The boy moved his feet and darted after Reina.

"Come back!" he shouted, but to no avail. Crunching leaves and breaking sticks, Reina was longing to come back to her father and greet him with a hug. There was no time to think of the consequences! The girl was running at quite a high speed - but Takumi was able to overcome her in about twenty seconds.

Tugging at her arm, Takumi tried to pull her back.

"No!" she shouted, kicking him in the shin and running at a higher rate than before. Takumi was quite used to being hit in the leg, so the blow did not slow him down as much as Reina would have liked.

"Reina, you don't know what you're doing!" Takumi said loudly. "Please - come back - six lives depend on you!"

The brown-haired girl did not answer and continued to run across the wood. "Mom! Daddy! I'm coming!" Little did she know that her delight would be at the expense of others . . .

The boy watched, horrified, as Reina picked up speed and dashed, faster than ever, to his, Ryota's, Naoki's, Miho's, Shun's, and Yuka's impending doom. The girl was so far ahead of him that he would not be able to catch up. Words did not help either. It was hopeless. He and his friends were as good as dead.

He watched, hopeless, as the girl dashed through trees and trees, her attractive brown hair floating in the wind behind her, her look of glee, how her legs moved over pinecones and pine needles, and . . .

Stopped.

Takumi peered up ahead in wonderment and walked to the girl's side, who sank to the ground and started sobbing. Her silent cries made the tranquil woods, the carefree wind, and the soft ground feel like a different world. She looked pitiful, crying on her knees, and yet there was still the figure of a beautiful girl . . .

"I'm here, Reina," he said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"REINA!"  
A higher-pitched voice than Mr. Yoshida's, like a teenage boy, called through the forest's elegant trees.

"That was my brother," she said softly. "They're probably so worried. I wish I could . . . but I can't . . . I can't go back . . ."

Takumi sighed. "Yes," he said soothingly, holding Reina's arm. "I - I really am sorry." He grabbed Reina's soft, warm hands and helped her up. "There's no excuse for what I have done."

The girl looked into his face and, surprisingly, smiled. "I'm sorry, Takumi. _Now_ look who's been selfish." Putting her hand on his shoulder and walking in the opposite direction, away from the calling voices, she said, "If I had followed through and gone to my parents like I said I would, then it would've meant big trouble for you -"

"And the rest of the digital humans," pointed out Takumi.

Reina looked confused. "What? What are you talking about?"

"You don't know half of it," Takumi laughed, kicking a rock down the forest road. "Here, let me explain . . ." 

The boy turned his attention to a tiny golden bird who flew back to it's home and began a cute little song. Both of them eyed it's nest, a run-down little house made of pine needles and sticks. Suddenly, a sound pierced the area and the flying animal took to the skies again. Takumi and Reina doubled around, the voice, this time, was from a woman. The shout was more than just a call for the Yoshida girl, however.

"REINA!" the high-pitched voice called. "Please, come back home! I'm sorry! We understand you now! I promise that we'll be better parents if you'd just come back! Please, Reina, come home!" A sob then came from the direction of the shout.

The girl that was being called for looked heartbroken. For a moment she gazed up at where the voice was coming from, high over the trees to her house, then turned back around, sighing. After Reina beckoned for Takumi to follow her, she explained, in a very sad tone of voice:  
"My mother. Last night she asked that I come to my older brother's basketball game. I said I didn't want to go, but she wouldn't listen to me - until I told her that she didn't respect my opinion. She told me that I didn't care about my brother and said to me that for all she cared I could just never participate in a family member's activities ever again. She left with Daddy and my brother, very angry."

* * *

"No offense, Reina," said Ryota calmly as he trudged down the sidewalk with Takumi, Reina, and Shun (wearing a Frankenstein mask, of course, to conceal his identity), "but as long as you don't have a device, you're trouble. So can you do us all a favor and not try to get angry? You could digivolve into that fox Digimon - or whatever it is."  
"Suraiimon," Takumi corrected, quickly getting in front of Shun when a white sports car drove past, "a quite vicious monster. Half killed me last night. Of course, if I hadn't given Reina the potion in the first place -"

Ryota shrugged. "Yes, you really did screw up there. Next time, check with us, and maybe Reina too, before you turn her into a Digimon."

Reina made a sound of sadness and regret. "Can we talk about something else, please? Like, the Shadow Gang that Takumi told me about? He told me that if we found them, they might be able to turn me back."

Ryota raised his eyebrows at Takumi when he was out of her vision. The latter knew that telling Reina that the Shadow Gang would be able to turn her back might be a lie, and there was an even smaller chance of finding them. But back in the forest, it would have been anything to keep her going. After a long explanation to Reina about what the team had been doing since the beginning when Hiamon killed Hiroshi Watanabe, they arrived at Ryota's house to pick up Shun and the former. They were to go to Miho's house for some sort of meeting (Naoki and Yuka were traveling together).

"Well," explained Shun, who had kept strangely quiet over the past few minutes, "we believe that one of the members of the Shadow Gang is the janitor at our school - Mr. Mes."

"But which one is he?" asked Reina, who had already learned the basics of the hunt. "Stone, Quiz, Search, or Shadow?"

"Quiz," replied Ryota quietly. "Most definitely Quiz."

The other three looked at Ryota strangely.

"Umm . . . what makes you say that? Why would Mr. Mes be Quiz? Why not Stone?" questioned Takumi, almost bumping into a telephone pole.

"Ahem, ahem!" warned Shun. "We are not at all sure that Mr. Mes truly is Quiz! The problem with you guys is that you jump to conclusions. We can't just say that our janitor is Quiz just because he was answering to some boss. Don't you guys get it? There are lots of bosses in the world! Second of all, why would Mr. Mes or 'Quiz' as you would like to call him now talk with a top-secret project with his boss _at school_?"

Ryota put his hand to his chin. "Time for Detective Ryota! First of all, assuming that Mr. Mes _is _a member of the Shadow Gang, which he may not be, as you have pointed out, Shun - then he is not the leader, obviously, as he was answering to a boss. That would mean that he is _not _Shadow. Second of all, there is only one female in the group, meaning that he is _not_ Search, because obviously Mr. Mes is not a woman - well, at least that's what he _says_. Last but not least, the Shadow Gang visited my house last night."

Shun and Takumi gasped. Their eyes bulged. Clearly, what Ryota was about to tell them was something big . . .

Ryota leaned on a fence close to Miho's house and told his story:  
"Last night, I noticed that two, and only two of the Shadow Gang members came to my house. Both male, referring to themselves as Stone and Shadow."  
"Stone and Shadow came over to your house last night?" Reina asked in amazement. "From what I've heard, it's like a dream, and you usually don't remember it by the time you wake up in the morning."

Ryota nodded happily. "However, the Shadow Gang seemed to make a slip this time. I could almost hear them and see them clearly with no trouble at all. _Almost._ Stone, I noted, did not sound like Mr. Mes in any way. Stone also said that he didn't like the idea of the Shadow Gang treating children badly like this."  
"Doesn't sound much like Mes," Takumi commented. "But what about Shadow? What was he like?"

"Shadow was the exact opposite. I was able to see his face, though . . ."

Takumi, Shun, and Reina looked like all their dreams had come true, and that their days of searching would finally come to an end . . .

"Who was it?" Takumi asked brightly.

"I don't know."

"What!?"

If Takumi had a huge mallet that he could pull from anywhere, he would use it right now and send it smashing down Ryota's head. His hopes had climbed so high - now it had skipped a step on the ladder and came hurling down, ladder and all.

"Therefore," continued Ryota, trying not to notice Reina, Takumi, and Shun's faces of anger and astonishment, "I conclude that Mr. Mes, if he was a member of the Shadow Gang, would be Quiz, and it's quite possible that the 'bosses' that Takumi and I saw are one and the same.

Shun grumbled. "But still, it's hard to prove that Mr. Mes is a member . . ."

"What more proof do you want?" Takumi demanded. "He had a boss, he talked about _you_, and he left a potion at Mr. Akimoto's door, probably hoping that he would drink it and turn into Suraiimon - but that went differently, and Reina became that Digimon."

The former jailbird still wasn't convinced. "Yes, but why would the Shadow Gang turn a bunch of kids into monsters, then break that pattern by turning adults into them? It makes no sense."

Takumi was about to reply, but a shout towards Miho's house distracted him.

"Hey guys! Come on over! We're waiting for you!"

This voice was rather high-pitched, but sounded like a boy's. It could belong to none other than Naoki Reda, the youngest person in their little group. The little boy waved to them on the doorstep of Miho's house.

"Is that Naoki?" Reina asked curiously. "He's pretty small."  
Takumi laughed. "Don't worry; he may be the smallest of us, but he makes up for it with his intelligence. Yuka's pretty nice too."

After a long walk up the hilly road to Miho's house, they rested on numerous rocking chairs that were on the high school girl's elegant porch.

Ryota sat down next to Reina on a large bench, looking up hopefully at the little boy that could transform into Sorcerimon.

"What's wrong with you, Naoki?" Takumi asked, settling down in a comfortable chair and closing his eyes. "Ring the doorbell already."

The little blonde-haired boy looked at him warningly. "Needn't I remind you that Miho has a younger brother? A _baby_ brother. I wouldn't want to wake him, for Miho's mother seems like an impatient sort of woman."

Takumi stared up at the ceiling of the porch. "Oh yeah, I forgot," he mumbled, his thoughts trailing off to an incident he had when he was younger. When he was seven years old and attended a rather run-down elementary school, he had a friend named Susumu. Susumu liked to pick his nose. He also had one brother and two sisters, one of which was very young. After receiving an invitation to Susumu's house for a sleepover, Takumi waddled to their house and foolishly rang the doorbell. Being the impatient little boy that he was, he rang the doorbell again - and again, and again, and again. It turned out that the first ring had woke up the baby girl. Susumu's mother, who was very strict and had more kids than she wanted to, sent Takumi home and grounded her son for a week - which, needless to say, broke up the little friendship between the second-graders.

As the boy rested his eyes, Naoki knocked on the door three times, Yuka peering curiously over his shoulder.

"Now, we must remember," instructed Naoki, while waiting for an answer at the door, "that Miho's mom is _not_ Mrs. Sugiyama, but rather, Mrs. Marusa. Due to our last meeting at this house, I think it would be wise to refer to her by that name, and to not make any attempts to learn more on her - er - _relationships_." The boy eyed Takumi with a sort of look in his eye that would make even the biggest of kids not question him.

Reina leaned over to Takumi and whispered in his ear: "This kid's pretty - um - well, I really don't know how to describe it -"

"That's Naoki for you!" said Takumi aloud.

The little child to whom they were referring to shook his head hopelessly.

After waiting for a moment, Yuka was the first to speak.

"There's no answer," she said, stating the obvious.

"Hmm. Well, as much as I don't like using the bell - I think it would be best -" Then, seeing the look of caution on Yuka's face, he said: "After, of course, I knock on the door one more time - and a bit louder, too -"

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

Shun stood up. "Come on, Naoki, you've got to do it better than that." But before he could do some much as cup his hands in to fists, both Naoki and Yuka seized his large hand and held it back.

And so they waited for another moment. And another - though it only seemed like seconds before Takumi had to stop resting (he had received little sleep on his night with Reina in the forest, therefore he would use his spare moments to pump in as much rest as he could, like he did during school hours).

"Perhaps it's the wrong house," Reina wondered, after their two minutes of waiting ended in vain.

"No, it can't be," Naoki replied. "We've been here before, this exact street, number, house, porch. Either they're not answering the door, or they're not home."  
"An interesting conclusion," thought Ryota aloud, "But I have my own - maybe they're just dead."

The younger boy grumbled, trying to think up means of getting Miho's attention without ringing the doorbell . . .

"Ah! I know," he said smiling as he took out his clear D-Monster, "whoever designed these things must be really skilled with electronics. This thing! After we find the Shadow Gang and they doubtlessly get out of jail, they may be employed to make electronics. With the write advancements, these things could very well replace modern phones. Is your dad hiring, Ryota?"  
"Who'd want to employ people who could turn their boss into Digimon?" Ryota mused as Naoki used the communication option and tried to contact the older girl - but this too seemed to end in nothing.

"Hmm," Naoki said, Yuka standing by his side. "There's something going on. Perhaps she forgot that we were supposed to meet?"  
Shun couldn't stand it any longer. "That's it, this door is going DOWN!" Ferociously, he grabbed the door knob and kicked the door open, almost the whole of the bottom floor of the house in his view.

Naoki, Yuka, Reina, and Ryota looked horrified. For once, Takumi was glad he hadn't slept through the action.

"Shun, you -" Takumi gasped, half-expecting Miho's mother to appear on the top floor of the house, peer down at them over the balcony, soaking wet from a shower and clad in towels. But none of this did happen, and one had to admit that the entire house looked eerily vacant - none of the lights were on, no televisions, not a single sign of life or movement - except, hauntingly, a fan that was going at a rather slow rate. There was really nothing to worry about.

Yuka stared around at the bare house, shivering. "Should - we go in?" she asked timidly.

Naoki answered her question by stepping in himself, behind Shun.

Yuka cautiously followed, staring behind her as though there was something more than the other children behind.

Takumi allowed Reina to enter the house before him, then last came Ryota, nearly tripping on the doorstep.

The air conditioning was on, sending an odd sort of chill throughout the usually very hot house. From the vents extruded a soft, comforting sound - and yet it made the house seem even emptier.

Naoki stepped up in front of Shun, staring around at the hallway as though their six shadows were watching them stand their dumbly. The little boy motioned for them to follow through the hall, until they came to two rooms, almost side-by-side: the kitchen and the family room.

The family room looked very normal: a fireplace sat on one side of the room, dusty and probably untouched since the previous winter. A lemon-colored couch stood near the curtained windows. One of the pillows lay on the floor near a stained coffee-table - no doubt Miho's brother, Kunikazu, had spilt food on it on numerous occasions.

On the mantelpiece hung a picture of Miho's family - the blonde-haired girl, who looked younger in this picture, eleven or twelve, her baby brother, who was being held in Mrs. Marusa's arms, and a black-haired, stern-looking man that Takumi had never seen before that had his arm around Miho's mother. This had to be the man who the fourteen-year-old girl had spoken of before: her recently departed stepfather.

The man's face itself was not at all angry-looking, but Takumi could tell it through his eyes: This person's blue eyes were not like any he had seen before: they were cold and malicious-looking. His face could not be any different. Smiling, happy, laid back - those features all belonged to him. Except his eyes. Takumi did not like these eyes one bit, and he could not help but gritting his teeth at the framed picture.

"You guys - look at this!"  
The sound of walking feet filled the quiet family room, and the boy, wondering what was the matter, turned around to follow them. But he could not help but glance back at the picture.

_How odd,_ he thought, after he had seen it again,_ that man doesn't have his arm on Miho's shoulder._ In all the photographs he had seen of happy families, the father always placed his hand on his child's shoulder. But not this time. Miho stood alone, in front of both of her parents.

Coming to see what was wrong, Takumi realized that someone had turned the television on. Reina, with the rest of the group behind her, stood wide-eyed at the ONN - Obligatory News Network, where Ryan Royama, the head reporter, was - reporting.

"Hello, I'm Ryan Royama, your obligatory head reporter," spoke the good-looking, brown-haired man. "And I'm here with Jumi Jimbo, our obligatory meteorologist -"  
The Chinese woman brushed back her black hair and smiled at the audience.

"And our obligatory sports reporter, Abu Abukara!"

The thin man smiled, waving at the audience and nodding his head.

Ryan Royama began the news report. "And our top story," he started, hitting his papers on his desk, assorting them into a neat little pile. "Flames rose to the sky over the burnt-up house of 1046 Berry Ridge, the stylish home of architect Hatsujirou Yoshida. Fortunately, he and his wife and son survived. Unfortunately, Reina, their loving daughter, was inside the house when the garage burned to the ground. Her body has not yet been found, although a thorough search through the house was performed very early this morning. Her parents have declined interview, but ask all in the neighborhood and surrounding areas to keep a look out for her. If you have any information about the whereabouts of twelve-year-old Reina Yoshida, call the number on this screen: 555-5555. Or you could just call the police, because that number is only to request breaking news . . . oh well."  
Jumi Jimbo nodded sadly over her mess of papers. "Very sad, Ryan. My heart goes out to her family - and to Reina."  
Ryan wiped his mouth, and nodded in agreement. Then, looking as though nothing had ever happened, he said happily:  
"And now we have a conspiracy theorist joining us tonight. Everyone, put your hands up for American-based Todd Brauhmfeld!"  
The American came up from behind the stage and shook hands with Jimbo, Abukara, and Royama. He waved back his jet-black hair and grinned after his handshake with the head reporter, who motioned for the guest to sit down. Brauhmfeld crossed his legs and smiled at the camera.

"Brauhmfeld is a college graduate from Miscatonic University, located in Massachusetts," Royama explained, nodding at the camera. "Let's see what he has to say about the problems we've been having in our little city. Todd?"

"Well, you see Ryan," said Todd, "there's only one explanation for this whole thing, and I seem to be the only one on the face of this country to know!"  
"And what's that?"  
"Monsters!"  
"Monsters?!"  
"Why not? Ryan, the problem with people today is that they're so blind that one day they're going to walk into a streetlight pole. We have dragons in the sky, claw marks on the little boy that was killed on April 10th, burns _and_ frostbite on that man that was killed not two days later, and then we have some sort of vicious fox show up, then a fire at the juvenile hall, and now a fire at this little girl's house."

"Right."  
"At first I thought that the fire thing was completely unrelated, but now it seems strange. Very strange indeed. I mean, I've studied mythology, fairy tales, science fiction, ancient legends, the theory of evolution . . . but I've seen nothing like this before. It's very, very strange. And after some studying, I came to the conclusion that this all dates back to almost seven years ago - October 3, 1982!"

Ryan put his hand to his chin thoughtfully. "1982 - that's some while back - what do you think the monsters were doing between that long, long time?"

The American sat back, looking stressed, as though he did not expect this question to come up. "Hmm. Well, I think that, well - there _have_ been monsters between that seven year period. And lots of them. Just - they did things that were - not as noticeable - they may have murdered someone, destroyed some things - but nobody reported it because it didn't even come to mind."  
"Hmm hmm."

"What I'm - trying to say is - some people overlook these events. Missing people . . . buildings destroyed for no reason . . . murders that no one can trace the killer to . . . all of that, I think, relates in some way to these monsters that are showing up."  
Ryan Royama didn't look convinced. "And so, what happened in 1982 that was so special?"

Brauhmfeld nodded as though the conversation was going just the way he wanted it to. "Well, if you do remember, a doughnut shop just a few miles north of here was completely demolished after an explosion of some sort. People say it was bombed by some terrorist. Bah! Terrorists, nothing. Why? Because I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Explain," Royama prompted. 

"This was way back, about the time when I first came to Japan and settled in Yokohama. So I got to this doughnut shop, and there's this guy there behind the counter. Real surly sort of guy he was, too - so I give my order and he gives me the wrong thing. He gives me only a 6-pack of doughnuts, when I asked him for 12. So I complained about it; and that surly jerk went to the back of the store, and I could've swore I heard him mutter, "Fat, lousy American". So what do I do? I'm so darn mad that I go back to my car and get the heck out of that surly man's place! After I drove out of the parking place, I hear this huge explosion."  
"How loud was it?"  
"_BLAAMMM!"_

"I see," Royama nodded, amused.

"Then, I looked around and see behind me a small, gray guy with punching gloves for arms!" shouted Todd, getting wound up, "there he is, hovering over the top of that destroyed doughnut shop, just laughing his head off! At first I think it's an alien, but aliens are green, see, and don't use bombs - they use high-powered neutralizer guns. It had to be a monster! I gasp, then put my foot on the pedal and drive at 90 miles per hour, getting the heck away from that guy! So I turn 'round and try to find him again, but I can't see anything at all! He just disappeared!" Brauhmfeld was now as pale as a ghost, jumping around in his small red seat. "They're monsters from another dimension I tell you, and they're out to get you! I told the police, but they didn't believe me, those lazy cowards. Either that, or they were just in denial - they're in denial now, too - we've now got dragons and foxes and fires (must be from the dragon) - and something that shoots ice, and of course, a robot - _something_ is going on, and the government isn't doing anything about it!"

Royama looked skeptical. "Despite the military's action to shoot down any unidentified flying objects in the sky?"

The American seemed to get back his tranquility and spoke calmly now. "I'm pleased about that, but they're still being very ignorant. It's very nice that things are safe in the sky; but I'm worried about right _here!_ When are they going to do anything about that fox and that robot that may still be on the loose?"

Ryan Royama looked impatient and looked as though he was waiting to tell _his _story. "The Animal Control Center is working on the capture of that fox as we speak. As for the robot? I believe that one of the witnesses may have mistaken it for a car."

"But -" Brauhmfeld stared at the camera as though his news had to be spread out to the crowd. "We can't just ignore these things! We've got to keep on the watch! We, as Japanese citizens, should not overlook recent news as a coincidence! There's something in them - they're all connected - they're monsters from another dimension, I tell you - we're not looking at all these cases as we should be! The city will be nice and quiet on the day that the monsters do something terrible - the day that they show their faces! All these things are adding up, and if we don't realize what's happening right now, then one day - maybe a year - next month - next week - _today_ - they will launch their worst strike yet on humanity! Only then will we open our eyes and realize the truth - there _are_ such things as monsters! Let's face that fact now, before they strike! Now, they're just hiding, causing trouble only when they need to - it's now that we need to act - now, when they're hiding - _hiding in the shadows_ . . ."

Royama looked uncomfortable. "But that's only if you assume that there are monsters. While I respect your point of view, I think that the 'monster' that you saw that just bombed the building was in fact a plane. You did say it _was_ gray."  
"Yeah, but -"  
"And this current incident," spoke Ryan, brushing back his hair. "If you've noticed, all of these attacks and such happened to East Yokohama Middle School students. Hiroshi Watanabe was killed when he was jogging. East Yokohama! Larry Felters was guiding children through the street when he was killed. East Yokohama again! That 'robot' that people saw - East Yokohama! The fox killed the boy at East Yokohama! What school did Reina Yoshida go to? East Yokohama! _I _think that there's someone out there that doesn't want kids to go to the middle school . . . but the question is . . . who? And why? I think, instead of questioning our beliefs in monsters, I think we should go back and see if there's anything on this school."  
"But -"

A woman appeared near Ryan's desk, handing him a paper and whispering something in his ear. Royama nodded sternly.

"To further prove my theory, this paper informs me that Takumi Hito, yet another East Yokohama Middle School student, has disappeared today. His mother, Airi Hito, who has also refused interview, recently acquired a large sum of money from a dead friend. Police officials do not believe that this case has any links to the aforementioned incidents, and believe that the twelve-year-old boy was kidnapped and is being held for ransom. However, it strikes me odd -"  
Back in Miho's small kitchen, Takumi's face turned a pale gray. Now his mother would be worried too. He could imagine her now, sulking on her familiar counter, wondering why she was such a bad mother, praying and offering to return the money for her little boy . . .

"This looks bad," commented Shun, staring down at Reina and Takumi, the 'missing' children. "If we don't clear out of here soon, the police will surely get us. I'm sure that they have ways of finding us that we can hardly imagine."  
Ryota nodded. "I agree. It's serious now. Let's find Miho and get the heck out of here. They're coming after us. Let's leave this place and leave it forever. We can't think about what how our families will feel. We've got to do it for the sake of the community, whether they like it or not." He stood to his full height and put on his coat.

The small girl named Yuka looked teary-eyed, looking as though she didn't know where to go or what to do. Takumi sympathized with her; it must have been really hard to adjust to new things, leaving Yokohama and their families forever . . . secretly, he wished to say good-bye to his mother - if he had known that the last afternoon was probably the last day he would ever see her again, he would feel more confident. But he was through being selfish. Ryota was right; no one had any idea of what exactly was going on in the city. And if they left now, it would stay that way.

"Come on, let's find Miho," ordered Naoki, taking a leader-like approach to the affair. "She's delaying us greatly."  
Yuka nodded obediently. "Come with me, Naoki, I'm going upstairs to see if I can find her."  
"Right," was the reply from the eight-year-old boy. "You four - see if you can contact her through your devices." And with that, the two small children hustled up the stairs to see if they could find the last member of their party . . .

Sighing, Takumi withdrew his red Digivice, surveying the model with interest. Would it help him find Miho? He pressed the communication button and awaited his answer with impatience, Ryota and the others doing the same.

But even though they waited for several minutes, they received no response, as though the person they were contacting did not even exist.

"Maybe it's broken," Takumi wondered, turning his Digivice around and trying to see through it. "Too bad mine's not clear, like Naoki's is. Then maybe I can find the problem."

Reina gazed over his shoulder. "Too bad I don't have one of those things," she said interestingly. "They look pretty cool. Hmm, if I had one, I wonder what color it might be. Red looks cool, but so does your blue one, Ryota, it -"  
Before she could continue with her sentence, a sharp scream pierced the air. If anybody was inside the house besides them, Takumi thought, someone would definitely hear it. But there was no time for thinking. Without an instant's hesitation, all four of the digital humans that had been left at the first story dashed up the stairs to where the sound had come from, Shun being the first to reach the landing.

"Where are you?" the chubby boy asked before Reina dived under his shoulder and pointed in the room directly up ahead. This time with the newest member of their team in the lead, the team ran slowly into a small, blue-painted room that smelt dusty and rather stuffy.

Naoki and Yuka looked up, standing by a crib, the latter holding a toddler that looked around three years old in her hands. The child was wrapped around in a small yellow blanket. His face was barely visible.

"The baby," Yuka said rapidly, "Kunikazu's not breathing."

"What?" Takumi demanded, coming from behind and, eyes wide, peering in horror at the almost generic scene in front of them. "What do you mean? That's - impossible!"

Miho's half-brother was not breathing, but the one who was holding him was breathing at an incredible pace, as though she had just seen a ghost - and, Takumi noticed, right now she looked like a ghost.

"We need help," Yuka muttered, the others staring, worried as she gently placed him in the crib, sniffling. "Call the police."  
"No!" Naoki shouted. "No. _Find Miho_. The last thing we want to do is get the police involved in this. And plus, we're probably not even supposed to be in this house. It would be mighty suspicious. Just - we need to find Miho. And quick!" Then, turning to Takumi and Reina, he ordered: "You two stay here. People are probably searching the streets for you now."  
Reina nodded sadly, watching the lifeless little boy in the crib. "Alright. Be careful, and find her quick."  
Naoki and the others exited quickly and headed down the stairs and out the doors, slamming it behind them. A series of shouts calling Miho's name ensued.

Takumi and Reina, however, remained back in the blue-painted room, watching the toddler sink deeper into eternal rest. The latter closed her eyes in sorrow, feeling her hand around the toddler's chest.

The former bit his lip, not knowing quite what to say. It was horrible to see this baby boy die, die right before his eyes. Why did he suddenly feel so responsible for him? He had killed Hiroshi, uncontrollably, of course, as well as that forty-two year old man, Mr. Felters. He had also allowed the fox Digimon to rip through Adamu's body, then gave a potion to Reina, isolating her from her family and friends forever. He had not thought at all while making these events possible, and during the aftermath he didn't mourn nor feel the slightest tinge of guilt. But now was different . . . he was through being selfish . . . if he could just save Kunikazu, he would be like restoring a soul that had been lost through his thoughtless experiences. He wanted to go out there now, searching for Miho with the others - she would know what to do.

Gathering his courage, he was finally able to speak to her . . .

"Reina?"  
"Yes?"  
He walked up to her and examined her worried, yet beautiful face. Her warm brown eyes seemed teary and hopeless. _This must be extremely hard for her,_ he thought, _first she's turned into a Digimon, now she has to guard a dying boy - who is perhaps already dead . . ._

"So . . . how are you holding up?" he asked, breathing hard.

"Oh," she answered, her face becoming a bit less worried to reflect her oncoming sentence, "Just fine."

Takumi smiled, a sad, painful smile. "Don't lie to me, Reina," he said as softly as he could. "I know how you're feeling. All these changes, in less than a day. Becoming a Digimon, leaving everything behind, and now finding a half-dead boy. It must be hard. Real hard. That's what you're really feeling. Am I right?"  
The girl sighed and stared guiltily at the blankets of the crib. The shouts of Miho were being heard threw the window, and with each yell the sound grew more and more distant. Reina said:  
"You're right. I'm - sorry."  
Takumi looked startled. "You - sorry? Don't tell me your sorry. There's nothing to be sorry about. You haven't done anything wrong. But I have. I've done lots of things wrong. And you know that. I've hurt so many people, Reina. I hope you understand that I don't want to hurt another one."

"What?"

Gazing at the attractive curtains of the windows, he replied: "I want to help this boy live. If he dies, Miho's family will be so sad. Just think. And it might be because I didn't contribute to Miho's search. Miho - if we could just find her, we could get help from her mom, or something. Please, please Reina - I know you're hurt, I know you don't like this, but please, let me search for Miho. I can't go back in time to change all the bad things that I've done lately, but I guess if I could help Kunikazu live, then - then I guess that's the closest I'll ever get."

To his surprise, Reina's face lit up and she looked very thoughtful. "Takumi - I hope you find her. We all make mistakes, but at least you've seen the error of your ways."  
Takumi made a sort of lop-sided grin.

"Sorry about this morning," she spoke softly. "And I take back what I said. You do know what loves means. And you know what? I don't have a bit of regret for accepting your offer to the dance."

The boy smiled, but then stepped back. "I want to kiss you, but I won't. I guess I was a bit foolish, yesterday - but now I know. True love isn't hugging, or kissing, or holding hands, or any other things like that."  
Reina looked happy. "A kiss can only last for a short time, but true love lasts forever." She looked into his eyes with a burst of joy, then turned to the baby boy, changing her subject of thought to his short time. "I understand. Come back soon, Takumi."

"I will," nodded Takumi, stepping into the hallway and about to depart down the stairs when Reina spoke to him from the baby's room.

Turning around, the boy eyed Reina from the dark hall, who looked back at him and warned:  
"Takumi, don't you think this is a bit suspicious? We find this baby dead, and Miho is no where in sight." Then, looking around the crib room as if to make sure no one else could hear her, she whispered, _"If you ask me, she _deliberately _disappeared. Something's wrong."  
_The boy's brown eyes darted from left to right, circling the dark house. The thought had never occurred to him. "I'll keep careful," he assured her, waving good-bye and heading off, leaving Reina alone to nurse the near-dead boy . . .

The minute after he closed the door to the Sugiyama to the minute he saw two persons standing in the middle of the street were all a blur: His thoughts were focused on only one thing - finding Miho, meaning that all surroundings could not be worried about. Now he squinted his eyes and saw not sixty feet away from him the two smallest members of their team: Naoki and Yuka, engaged in a conversation of some sort.

"Hey, you two!" Takumi called, giving a little wave as the two eight-year olds turned around (Yuka wearing a criticizing look on her face) at a run, he followed close behind the two digital humans.

"Found anything yet?" he panted as he swept up behind Yuka.

Naoki appeared disapproving as well, and Takumi doubted it was only because he had interrupted their discussion. Sure enough, the little boy quickly stated in a disappointing voice that made Takumi looked guilty:  
"I asked you not to come down here with us. The whole group split up into pairs, searching for her, while some adults that I've passed are looking for _you._ Couldn't you be a little less self-centered?"  
The boy who was being referred to was about to say something back, intolerable of being treated this way by a boy much younger than him, but realized that, like Reina, Naoki was right. But it wouldn't stop him from finding Miho: She would be the only chance of her younger brother's survival.

"I'm sorry," said he, "but I just wanted to - join the search. I'd feel pretty guilty if I let Kunikazu die without helping him myself."  
Naoki expressed his views with a little sound that meant that he didn't know quite what to say. Yuka remained quiet, but her partner then asked:

"What did you do with Reina?" the small, blonde-haired boy asked.

"Umm . . . I left her back at the house," he said truthfully.

"That's good," was the reply, which made Takumi a bit startled, but after some thinking, he realized that it was usual, he would not like to see Reina out on the road too after what happened the previous night.

"If you ask me," Naoki continued, "Reina's taking this pretty well, don't you think? Well, I'm thankful for that. And while I understand why you wanted her along on the trip, but if I did the same thing to Yuka, I'd -"  
The boy stopped dead and stared wide-eyed in front of them, not looking at either Takumi or Yuka, as though he had just sat on a tack.

Both younger kids stared at each other for a moment - a very awkward moment, Takumi noted.

"Well -" Yuka spoke, escaping from her usually quiet self - "I guess if you wanted to bring along a friend - a really good friend - then I wouldn't really mind." She made something that looked sort of like a grin - but instead it appeared to be some sort of dazed, emotionless facial expression.

Takumi blinked, then uttered, "Eh . . . ?" before he saw in front of him what he had been searching for all this time: Miho Sugiyama stood near the stop sign that stood between 0120 Strawberry Street and 0121 Autumn Lake Road. And even though her back was facing them and he could hardly see her face, it just had to be her - her clothes, her pose, her hair, it just had to be her.

Strawberry Street was a strangely quiet area in the far east of their neighborhood. It was still under construction and most of the little road consisted of few houses. And those that were already built were almost vacant except for a little red car parked near a construction zone. In his younger days, Takumi's neighborhood was just a little seed beginning to grow, and he was quite fascinated by the construction workers that toiled, from sunup till sunset, over large houses spread out all over the area. Now the neighborhood was very crowded and only a few places had any construction at all - and Takumi was too busy with homework to go out watching it.

Naoki and Yuka noticed the girl too and both contacted the other children, who agreed to meet in that area (and for both of them it must have been nice to get out of their clumsy minute) then started running down the street, calling out the older girl's name.

In seconds, Ryota came running down the sidewalk, followed by an exhausted, out-of-breath Shun.

Takumi was the first to speak to the girl they had been seeking. "Miho!" he shouted, even though they were but a few feet apart, yet her back was still turned to them. "Your brother - I mean, half-brother, or whatever, Kunikazu - he's dead, I think! Miho - Miho?"  
What followed was not what he had expected - a little laugh. The others watched the fourteen-year old suspiciously - Ryota cupping his hand into a fist, as though to demand an answer. Takumi was shocked, clearly he had heard wrong. A laugh?  
Finally, a voice belonging to Miho answered -

"Is he really dead?"  
Takumi shook his head and stared overhead at the green trees. "Yes! At least I think so - come quick, he's not breathing! We've got to act -"

Another long, quiet chuckle.

The boy opened his mouth and closed his eyes in confusion and frustration. "Miho - come on! He's not breathing! Come -" Then he remembered - Reina's words:

_"If you ask me, she _deliberately _disappeared. Something's wrong."_

He stared up at her back in disbelief. "You?" he muttered.

Naoki stepped forward. Takumi wasn't sure that he would be able to get an answer out of her . . .

"Miho, this situation requires your participation. Your younger brother is at stake! Please, you've got to -"

The girl stepped to the side, but her back was still turned to them. Finally, she answered in a long sentence, "He's really dead is he? Then I've done it. He's over. Good-bye, Kunikazu Marusa . . . you're going to Hell, you thief! Thief!" Shaking her fists at the sky, she laughed darkly.

"What's wrong?" Takumi whispered to Naoki, who shook his head. Shun stepped back, looking puzzled and worried . . .

"Crazy," was the short reply. The young boy brushed his hair back and stepped forward. "Miho - what did you do?" He said this calmly, he reminded Takumi strongly of Mr. Shale, speaking in a way that probably would not frustrate or anger her - he thought this wise, for if provoked - if she was really crazy like Naoki said - it would be dangerous.

The older girl swept her feet and replied:  
"He stole from me. Now I'm stealing from him. It all balances things out. Heck, it doesn't even - he stole everything from me, while I only stole one thing - his air. His sweet, precious air. He would die without it."  
Takumi squinted his eyes as if he would understand her better like that. "What's she talking about?" he whispered down to Naoki.

The boy replied: "Kunikazu was wrapped in a blanket. I'll bet that it was so tight that he died from lack of air - suffocated. Suffocated by Miho."  
_Suffocation._ He had only thought of that method of death three days ago - when he was trying to commit suicide - but he reconsidered - he told himself that suffocation would be a long, painful way to die, waiting, waiting, until your air supply ran out . . . and now Kunikazu, Miho's younger brother, had died that way. If he had truly suffocated, there would be little hope for him, and with Miho not wanting to come to his aid, he was as good as dead. Takumi sighed - he had let another life slip through. But it was not entirely his fault.

The insane one snarled. "Don't think I can't hear you whispering among yourselves! You can all just shut up now! You can't help me! You don't know me!" She sniveled. "Stop it!"  
Shun could not taking anymore. Stepping forward courageously he yelled, "Hey, if you want to shout like that, come on and face us like the cowardly child-murderer you are!"  
Miho growled fiercely. "Fine then . . . I will." And what came next had Takumi totally unprepared that he almost slipped to the ground in astonishment. She did turn around - and pulled from her coat pocket a small, sinister-looking handgun.

__

Next time on Digimon Genesis:  
Uh oh! Looks like trouble for the Genesis Team who doesn't_ want to be turned in! But what's Miho's story? Why does she hate Shun so much? What's the story of her mysterious stepfather? Could he possibly be a member of the Shadow Gang? How will Mrs. Hito and the Yoshidas deal with their children's disappearances? It doesn't look like too many of these questions will be answered on the next Digimon Genesis:  
  
STONE COLD_

And so, another chapter is complete. Hopefully you're not satisfied at all, but I also hope that you are building up your own theories. This, I think, is the last chapter with any hints at all towards the Shadow Gang, so, this may be all you're going to get for now. So work those theories, if you care. Read on and on! Delve deeper! Some stupid, ridiculously small detail may play the most important part ever!

That said - I want to hear what you have to say! Not only on the Shadow Gang, but on other mysteries and odd things - before they're resolved really, really soon!

Now, the fic has been dark ever since the beginning. And, if the ending to this chapter shows, it's going to get even darker - leading up to an event that unveils the members of the Shadow Gang. In about a chapter or so, new levels of power will be explored, characters will die, and 


	21. The Madness of Miho

Note: Digimon Genesis turns one year old on March 15th, despite what the publish date on this website may say. And for a special treat for the occasion, I plan to have Chapter 22 released on that day. Of course, there's a chance that I won't get it in on the deadline . . . okay . . . there's a 12% chance that I'll get it out on that day. But anyway, I'm already writing it as of this release, so . . . blah blah blah.

DISCLAIMER: Iay on'tday wnoay Igimonday, ownay eavelay emay loneaay ouyay diotsiay!

. . . ndaay leasepay topsay astingway imetay ranslatingtay histay rapcay!

_Last time on Digimon Genesis:  
We found Ryota sleeping in his bed, alone in his room . . . or so he thought. Turns out to of the members of the Shadow Gang had arrived, and had given him some weird potion to drink!  
Meanwhile, Takumi and Reina were having problems of their own. At first, it looked like they would never even look at each other again, but with a bit of reassurance, the girl was back on her feet, now a member of the team._

Six of Naoki's team arrived to Miho's house, only to find that she wasn't at home! After watching a low-bro newscast report, they went upstairs to find that Miho's younger brother Kunikazu was dead!  
They all went searching for the victim's older sister, only to find that she had suffocated him! Miho then turned her back - both literally and figuratively - on them and revealed a gun that she pointed in their faces!

****

DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER XXI 

THE MADNESS OF MIHO

"Stupid Marusa! Always so worried about you and your stupid family! Well look where your stupid security has got you now, huh?" She pointed the weapon right at Shun's forehead. "If I had to kill anybody here, it would be you, Shun Oshiro! _Perfect _Shun Oshiro!" Takumi was half-expecting for the deranged girl to blow the chubby boy's head, but she did not pull the trigger.

Takumi put both hands in front of him in surrender. Naoki covered his chest with his crossed hands. Yuka took shelter by covering her head. Ryota held a fist to his heart and one between his eyes . . . but the foremost one knew that this was dumb, for if the bullet did not scrape an area where he wasn't covered, it could go through his hand too and he could be critically injured.

"Don't - shoot!" Takumi requested, holding both hands in the air. He knew this was dumb and he looked like an idiot, but over the loss of his life or his nerve, he would choose nerve.

Miho looked as though she had played a wonderful joke on everyone. Laughing hard, she choked: "I don't want your lives, you ignorant bugs. I want your devices! Hand them over, now!"

"Huh?" Takumi lowered his hands a little, but still kept them by his side. This was puzzling. "Why? Why do you want those?"

Miho rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue as though it was obvious, but she did not answer his question. Instead, she started to rant, stepping right in front of him. "Oh, Takumi. Look at you cry. I've heard that your dad isn't around anymore? Well guess what? You may have spent a few years with him, then he was wiped off the face of the Earth . . . well, my father still lives . . . but I've never met him. But if I ever did, you'd be sure that I'd haul a bullet right up his filthy throat so fast it would make your head spin! My mother the slut probably wouldn't be able to sleep unless she slept with one man a day. You'd think she'd learn her lesson after getting pregnant with me - how lucky! But _no_. She continued seeing these bastards - and guess what? I'm positive that at least a million times, she forgot all about me! Her own daughter! How pitiful is that? But I guess it's easy to forget about things when you're out gambling, or having sex with total strangers, or getting high at nightclubs! I'm very surprised that she was able to stick to one man so long for him to propose to her! Unfortunately, this man she met - Marusa, that faggot - was no better than my own father!"

Takumi wanted to speak, but he didn't dare speak a word. The others did likewise.

" 'Oh, hello, what's your name, oh yes - Miho, how are you doing? See, this guy proposed to me, you might have heard us wearing out the bedsprings late at night, and so I accepted and we're getting married. Oh yeah, I'm also pregnant, _oops_. I think I'll love this child more than you because you're the spawn of a good-for-nothing guy that I laid when I was sixteen.'"

Miho performed a somewhat accurate imitation of her own mother.

"My stupid mother left me out in the dark so many times. What a bitch! I hope you'll see now why I had to steal from Kunikazu. That little idiot who didn't deserve anything got all the love and affection!" She sniveled, wiping her nose several times through her story. "But if there's one person who I hate more than Kunikazu, it would be that jerk that she got married to. I wish I could have the joy of killing him, then watching him stare, eyes-open, as I kicked him into a hole! That horrible man who I was forced to call father - _Marusa_. He beat me, that jerk! If I hadn't been so dumb back then I would have called the police! They would probably arrest him for all the bad stuff he did to me! He was an ignorant bastard; he thought that I was coming between him and my mother. How stupid is that?"

Looking insanely sad, she continued:  
"But there was one thing that I could do that somebody else stole from me. You know who you are! You're another thief, Shun Oshiro! But you're also evidence. That's why I'm keeping you."

Shun stepped back, looking at her strangely, but still closely eying the gun in her hand. "W-what are you talking about?"  
Miho rolled her eyes again and brushed back her dirty-blonde hair. "You know very well what I'm talking about, Shun Oshiro! Art class! Mrs. Daishi! Mr. Shale! Ever since I met you, Shun, everything's gone worse! I hate you so much!"  
Takumi looked from Shun, trembling with fear, to the insane girl, who still held the weapon tight in her hands. "W-what _are_ you talking about?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes yet again - Takumi imagined that they would start to hurt by now. "I was very good at school. Really good. Probably because I didn't have anything else to do, and it was my only outlet to other people besides my parents. Everything was well until I met him! Shun Oshiro! You stopped me from reaching perfection!"  
Shun stepped back, but answered truthfully: "I know what you're talking about. And I'm sorry. But we just have different ideas -"  
"Your ideas suck, Shun! Nobody cares about what you paint. Your art is about peace and happiness, and beautiful scenes, and people dancing and acting all gay - _my_ paintings are about the real world! About what life truly is! So what if I draw someone getting stabbed? People get stabbed in real life! People grow old. People die. People commit suicide. People kill others. This is not some stupid place and gay people dance around and play with each other, it's a hateful world! And I'm only revealing what the world _is_! But people like you and Mrs. Daishi doesn't respect that.

Takumi wondered if he dare speak. He looked around, then finally asked: "Who's Mrs. Daishi?" He had heard of her before, but didn't know exactly who she was - after all, he always felt like all the other students at East Yokohama knew something that he didn't.

"Mrs. Daishi, Takumi," explained Miho, "is the worst art teacher the world has ever seen! Dance around and praise Shun's paintings, you fat bitch! Totally criticize mine! Worried about how I'm feeling, are you? That's none of your business! I say, freedom of art!"  
_So Miho was an art student too,_ Takumi thought. _But why all this?_

The armed fourteen-year old girl continued on with her story:  
"Me and stupid Shun got in a dumb argument about what art is. What a bitch, that stupid Mrs. Daishi signed us _both_ up for counseling! Counseling! Together! With Mr. Shale! We both explained our problems, and he advised me to draw _lighter._ What the hell does he mean by _lighter?_ Nobody cares about happy paintings! _They aren't real._ They don't show anything! So then, counseling quit, I still wasn't any better - meanwhile Mrs. Daishi praised la-la-la Shun, who's a lazy faggot and doesn't even try in schoolwork. Meanwhile, I'm _still_ criticized! I passed school with straight A's, but I got a B in Art! Why? Because of Mrs. Daishi! Well, take this - die, Daishi! When I get the recognition I deserve after I turn all you digital freaks in, I'll ask Mrs. Falle to fire that miserable teacher!"

"Recognition?" Ryota asked. "The only recognition you're going to get is at a mental institution! Why do you think that turning _us_ in will make you any less of a digital human? You're one of us, and by doing this, you're not only betraying us, but yourself! Put that gun down and calm down!"  
Miho stormed up to him and pointed the gun to his chest. Takumi watched in horror as Ryota stepped back, his hands up.

"Don't - shoot," he breathed.

Miho smiled insanely. "I can assure you I won't . . ." she whispered, "unless you make a wrong move. And by wrong move I mean turning into a Digimon. Anyone who thinks they can evolve to Digimon form without getting shot in mid-evolution is just kidding themselves!"

Takumi secretly felt for his D-Monster deep within his pocket, but his smaller companion asked him not to.

"She's dangerous," Naoki convinced. "Don't evolve, and everything will be all right. There's still a chance."

Meanwhile, the traitor stood by Ryota, pointing the weapon at his face. "Ryota, hand over your device. NOW!" Knowing that it was either hand over the digivice or face doom, he reached for his D-Monster and, sighing, dropped the blue device on Miho's outstretched hand.

Naoki and Yuka's devices were the next to go. The latter held hers out without even being threatened, apparently she didn't want a gun at her chest - and neither did the rest of them.

Shun came shortly after. He was quite intimidated at this time because he believed that Miho would not hesitate to kill him - but she did not.

_It looks like she has the sense not to kill somebody,_ Takumi thought as he grabbed his red D-Monster as Miho came by, grinning, and holding the gun in the air, a few feet away from his chest.

"Hand it over," she ordered, stretching out her left hand (her right one held the undesirable weapon). Knowing that he had no other choice, he reached for his little red device.

_Good-bye, old friend,_ he thought as he groped about for the key chain . . .

"Hurry up!" Miho shouted, right by Takumi's ear. "I'm waiting very patiently. A bit _too_ patiently, if you know what I mean."  
The boy grabbed from his jean pocket the device - the device that might have saved all, had he not been so cowardly in this moment of shock. He was about to drop it in Miho's ugly, outstretched hand, but his fingers did not turn lose.

"Give it, now!" ordered Miho, holding the gun closer to his chest.

Takumi breathed uneasily, knowing that he was choosing between life or death . . .

"GIVE IT NOW!" shouted the insane girl, holding the black, foreboding weapon up in the sky. "If you think I'm kidding about this whole thing, then get this!" She fired the gun several times up the air. The sound was so loud that the boy standing nearby almost fled at the shot. Miho then held the gun up to the boy's chest.

"I'm warning you," she whispered in his ear, "I'm warning you. I'm giving you a chance. If you hand me the device now, you live."  
But there was a voice in his head, a voice more powerful than the girl's - a voice that dominated over the traitor.

_Don't hand it over. You've worked so hard at keeping this a secret. Don't give up now. Don't give up. The whole team depends on you . . . don't hand it over. Don't let Miho win._

With the courage of a lion, he faced Miho eye-to-eye and shouted:

"I'm not handing it over!"  
Miho stepped back. "You what!?" she demanded, holding the gun closer to his chest.

Takumi stepped forward. "I'm not about to hand over my device! Kill me now! I have the courage to say no! So now I'm asking you - _do you have the courage to kill me_?"  
The insane girl, shaking the gun violently in her hand, shook her head, as though in denial. "No," she whispered, "no. Oh no. Takumi, you made the wrong choice. And it's your fault. Oh well. I'm sure one kill won't be too much harm. Anyways, I won't let you spoil my chances. When I come to the police station with evidence of the real murderers, I'll just say that you, in your Digimon mode, tried to attack me, so I had no choice but to shoot you. I'm so close . . . and I'm sorry. I can't let you live. You brought this on yourself - if you die, none of it's my fault. None of it at all. Because it's all your fault."

Takumi, breathing hard, looked up at the mad girl, and . . . smiled. "You're right," he replied, grinning, as the others watched him in horror, "you're right. It _is _all my fault. I'm sorry. I'm sorry about you, Miho. It's my fault. It's my fault. IT'S MY FAULT!"

The fourteen-year-old girl jumped back from Takumi's shouts and wiped the spit from his mouth off her usually clean face. "That's it, Takumi. I gave you many chances. And you lost them all. Good-bye, Takumi Hito . . . it looks like another bastard will be joining my dumb half-brother Kunikazu in Hell. Now you won't be able to steal anything from me, thief. Because YOU'RE DEAD!"  
Takumi closed his eyes, terrified, knowing what would happen next - his device was grabbed from him - a bullet ripped through the air, then shouts from people, people that he knew - then a scream, a girlish scream, no doubt from Miho - a growl, then -

Opening his eyes, the boy saw the sight before him. He looked about and saw his friends, cheering in happiness - then saw Miho on the ground . . . being clawed by the fox Digimon - Suraiimon - Reina. He joined his friends as he watched the battle scene . . .

"Takumi!" shouted Shun, patting him on the shoulder. "We thought we had lost you! Suraiimon just jumped into battle! She must have heard those gunshots!"

Grinning, he cheered for the fox, who was pummeling a frightened Miho to the ground. "Watch out," warned Naoki, stepping up close. "Suraiimon may have saved you from a bullet, Takumi - but she's uncontrollable for now."  
Miho dodged the oncoming claw and rolled over on her stomach, hiding her head from those hideous nails, but that was not enough. The traitor was able to realize what was happening and grabbed from her pockets the six devices she had - Ryota's, Naoki's Yuka's, Shun's, Takumi's, and her very own yellow D-Monster.

"Let's see how you match up with Jikimon!" the insane girl shouted, pressing the top button on her device and transforming into the disgusting plant monster - the ugly-looking Jikimon.

There was no comparison, at least in beauty, between the two female Digimon. Suraiimon, with her elegantly-trimmed claws and soft, red body was clearly the winner. Miho seemed to realize this, for she looked around at her own Digimon body in disgust.  
The fox Digimon lunged at the hideous plant, claws stretched, growling ferociously . . . but that was not enough. Using one of her vines, Miho's monster form was able to swipe Suraiimon down in one hit.

"UGH!" the beast growled as it's head hit the pavement, it's opponent cackling with might and menace . . .

But the fox Digimon was not ready to admit defeat quite yet. Beginning at a walk, then a run, it gathered speed and half-glided, half-flew in the air shouting:  
"Season Bullet!"  
From Suraiimon's fanged mouth came many darts that, in a way, resembled the leaves of fall - orange, yellow, green, and red. The bullets flew down on the vulnerable plant Digimon, who had great offense but lacked horribly in defense. Cutting through Jikimon's vine-like body, Suraiimon now had the advantage.

"Sidewinder Claw!" 

Reina attacked again, releasing her beautiful claws from her body and firing them at full speed at the already-injured plant Digimon. Jikimon was blown away by the sheer force of the long claws. Gasping in a terrible, raspy voice, the vegetation Digimon dropped to the ground, seemingly unconcious.

"Don't you want to help Reina?" Naoki asked Takumi, who replied:  
"I think she's doing a good enough job on her own though, don't you think?"  
"For a Digimon that can't control it's powers, I'd say yes."

The fox seemed to hover over the lifeless being that was the plant Digimon, until it was able to get back on it's feet.

Takumi and the others stepped back. The disgusting flower monster looked even more awful than before, even sickly. It was a horrible sight to look at: Her petals were chopped, her face seemed lopsided, and vines stuck out at odd places. Plant arms hung to the side limp and injured.

"DO YOU SURRENDER NOW?" Naoki shouted at the gruesome monster, but Jikimon only shook her head and laughed: A cold, sinister laugh that Takumi noticed was even more horrible than Miho's past laughs. And this time, she said something even stranger than before:  
"I thank you, Naoki. I owe so much to you. With control of my powers, I can function better. You see, when we gathered at the woods near your house, you taught me how to fly." Takumi almost jumped back in disgust when he saw Jikimon spread out her white, fly-like wings.

"La la la!" she sang, mockingly taking to the skies over the confused and mad fox Digimon, who was Reina. "I can fly in the sky, in the stratosphere! Oh, what a wonderful day! To turn in a bunch of rascals. Fame and fortune, for me, for me . . ."

Her plant-like body vanished over the treetops, over the houses and the tall buildings, high into the atmosphere, where the pressure was great. She flew so high that in minutes she was a dot in the air, and (thankfully) her raspy singing could no longer be heard.

Suraiimon shook her head sadly, clawed at the air for a few minutes or so, wanting to catch it's enemy, but when she saw that there was no hope of catching up with it, she doubled around and devolved into Reina.

"Reina!" Takumi shouting, coming quickly to her aid. The brown-haired girl was breathing hard in exhaustion, her hands on the blue pavement of the street. "Are you alright? You did great! How did you do it?" Then, back to his first question, "Are you alright!?"

Sighing, she answered, "Yes. I'm fine. But I let her get away. Now she's got your device things and she'll turn you in for sure."  
"That's okay," Takumi said, hugging her warmly, "as long as you're okay." He stared into her eyes for a moment. "You saved me. Thanks."

Reina nodded. "When I heard the gunshots, I came down here, and when I saw what was happening - well, I couldn't wait. I was so angry that I evolved to Suraiimon. I tackled that girl to the ground - was that Miho?"  
Smiling, Takumi replied, "Umm . . . I'll tell you in a minute."

The others, however, were not romancing, though Naoki and Yuka were holding hands tightly, the former staring hopefully at the sky, at the little black dot that was Jikimon, hovering over even the tallest buildings, surely to turn them in. Suddenly, the young boy's serious, stern-looking face lit up and turned into a smile. "We're alright," he said happily, holding Yuka's hand. "We're alright."  
Ryota looked down at him and narrowed his eyes. "Just what do you mean 'we're alright'? We're _not_ alright. Jikimon still has our devices."  
Naoki shook his head happily. "Not for long. If the news reports are correct, then -"

_BLORG._

A sound like a cannon ripped through the air. They could hear, from the ground they were standing on, a loud, insanely-high scream, raspy and disgusting - a scream that belonged to Jikimon. Naoki watched, his blue eyes following as the little black dot that was the plant Digimon hummed to the ground, far away, before splitting into tiny, tiny pieces. Even tinier were the devices, which fell to the ground as well.

_PHLM._

For some reason, all of the devices stopped in mid-air and started directly for their owners - the digital humans. Yuka and Naoki held out their hands and received their brown and clear devices, respectively, Shun reached out his arm and grabbed his gray one - Ryota picked his blue one, and Takumi watched happily as his lucky red D-Monster floated into his arms, before he started to hug Reina again (who snatched Miho's old device, the yellow one).

"What - happened?" Shun asked, blinking up at the sky as if in disbelief.

"That," explained Naoki happily, "was the last we'll ever see of Jikimon. That sound was a missile - the military has been monitoring the skies lately, shooting down unidentified flying objects. If my suspicions are correct, then they do know _something_ about these monsters - and it looks like they just struck one down."  
Reina peeked inside of her D-Monster, looking for any sign of - anything.

"Hmm," she wondered, "there's no sign of anyone ever owning this device. It doesn't display Miho's name or anything. And Jikimon's not inside it anymore."  
Naoki looked through his clear one and pocketed it. "That's right," he replied. "Jikimon's spirit has left the device - forever, it seems."  
Ryota, meanwhile, inspected the gun that Miho had dropped right before she had evolved to the plant Digimon of Jikimon. After a quick examination of the bullet cartridge, he announced happily, "The bullets are all out on this thing." The gun had been hanging by a sewer hole. Grinning, Ryota dropped the weapon ("Oops!") into the sewer hole, where it clattered and broke.

It looked like everything was peaceful in the world, but Naoki still wondered. "Say, we had better be heading off soon. But it looks like we're one short of our team." Grinning, he added, "Not that it matters, of course. We've got a new, better one to replace her."

Reina smiled, looking up at Takumi and exchanging another hug.

"So, are we heading out at last?" Naoki asked.

His question rose much enthusiasm from the members of the group, who took to the nearby woods and made their own path, out in the wilderness.   
Takumi crunched his feet on the dead leaves, the atmosphere was perfect - a blue sky, the morning was not chilly, everything seemed perfect. The squirrels played, scrambling up the trees in the most carefree way you could imagine. Birds sang their beautiful songs, flying from branch to branch. Reina stuck by Takumi, holding hands. Naoki and Yuka crunched on the dead leaves. The jail-breaker Shun retrieved (with a hint of disapproval from the youngest girl) a large twig and used it as a walking stick. The only one who didn't seem to have the air of a happy person was Ryota, who slacked behind, hands in his pockets, kicking leaves out of his way.

Takumi allowed the others to go ahead in front of him. Taking a halt, he waited for Ryota, who followed them up the hill and stared ahead, sternly.

"What's wrong?" he asked the unhappy boy, who shook his head.

"Nothing," was the lie - obviously it _was_ something. Seeming to understand this fact, Ryota then said truthfully: "It's Miho. I can't believe she would do something like that to us. I trusted her - well, sort-of. I knew that something was afoot the minute she invited us to that crap tournament. But I had no idea that she wanted to use our devices to turn us in."

Takumi looked at his companion thoughtfully, then up at the leaves above them. "She was crazy," he commented, going along at the same rate as his chum, "but there's nothing that we can do now. She's dead - what's done is done." He gulped, thinking of how Miho had been there one minute and was gone the next.

Ryota didn't seem to be listening. "I can't stand it anymore!" he stated loudly. "What if - what if _you,_ Takumi, are the next one to go crazy and try to turn us in? Huh? What if you've been hiding this secret behind you all this time, like Miho did?"

The boy's smile became unfixed. He snatched up a stick and twirled it around with his fingers. "That's illogical," he said, motioning for Ryota to quicken his pace. The boy did not. "I mean, I'm worried too. I don't know what to think either, but all I know is -"

The other shook his head. "Just - be quiet. I can't deal with this. I'm scared, Takumi. I really am. The new place we're going to - leaving everyone - Miho dead - being assaulted by a gun - I can't take this any longer. I want to go home. And I have the worst of all headaches . . ."  
At this point, Reina turned around and asked, "What's wrong?"  
Takumi did not answer, so the girl went up to both boys.

"Ryota, are you alright?" she asked pleasantly. The boy had began to clutch his forehead in pain.

"Shut up!" he shouted, making Reina jump back. "Please! Shut up! It's hurting so much!" Takumi surveyed his hurt companion, in a bit of a small panic. He sounded awful - like he was dying!

The rest of the group stared back at Ryota, who started sobbing on the ground.

"What's - going on?" asked Naoki, who crept closer, as though Ryota were a very large animal. Takumi watched Naoki's bright eyes widen in horror. After a few seconds of wondering what was wrong, he realized that the boy who was in pain was growing a blinding blue color - the color of the sky, except much more intense. The brown-haired boy shielded his eyes from the sight, as did the others. The only one who spoke was the smallest member of their team, Naoki:  
"Ryota! You're glowing! Use your device to control yourself, quick!"

Ryota seemed to do as instructed - he held out his dark blue D-Monster, pressed the button - and gasped. Nothing happened.

"Something's wrong!" Ryota shouted, now a wildly vivid blue. He pushed the buttons numerous times, but to no effect. "I can't - take it - HELP ME!"

But none could help him, for they were too busy shielding their eyes from the brilliant light that came from Ryota's glowing body.

"TRANSFORM!" Takumi heard a deep, growl-like voice that did not quite sound like Ryota shout. ". . . HYPOTHERMON!"

When the transformation was complete was the time in which all of them could open their eyes again . . . and they gasped at what was before them.

Hypothermon looked a lot like Ryota's other form, Kibamon - large and tiger-like, but this time the cat Digimon was armed with two cannons coming from his shoulders, meeting into a bigger, adjustable cannon that rested on his head. A spiked collar was tied around the snow leopard's neck, making him look like a ferocious jungle cat. Most of his body was covered with a shiny silver armor - even the Digimon's teeth seemed to be armored with a thicker coat. What little fur you could see shone like diamonds, and his claws were now machine-like and looked as though it could fire them at long range, like Suraiimon could.

"He looks like Kibamon . . ." Naoki stated, "but he's not . . . he looks like a new, improved snow leopard."  
Yuka clutched his arm. "_Can't_ you think of anything besides that? We've got to transform . . . now!"  
A series of transformations from human to Digimon followed, each member of the team (except Ryota and Reina, of course) using their own devices.

"TRANSFORM!" shouted Takumi, holding up his red D-Monster and pressing the top button. In seconds, he was the champion-level virus-type Digimon whose idea of a fun game was one where you played with fire - ". . . HIAMON!"  
"Transform! . . . SORCERIMON!"

"Transform! . . . MEKANORIMON!"  
"Transform! . . . MIKEMON!"

Instantly in the children's places stood their Digimon forms: Hiamon, the great dragon, Sorcerimon, the icy-cold wizard, Mekanorimon, the gray transport Digimon, and (last but not least) Mikemon, the quick, agile house-cat.

The four Digimon growled at their friend-enemy, ready for battle, while Reina, the only member of the team who didn't have a device, took shelter under a nearby tree and watched the battle, hoping not to be spotted by the brutal snow leopard monster that was really Ryota.

Hiamon flew to the sky, high above the trees (but not high enough to be spotted) and swooped to the ground, steel claws out and shining, shouting:  
"TRIPLE DRAGON TALON!"

The attack, however, never made impact. Though Hypothermon only looked ferocious, he did not lack intelligence. The cat Digimon had been prepared for this and fired, from both shoulder cannons, a devastating technique:

"Cold Cannons!"

From the Digimon's body came two missiles, both blue and, Hiamon noted, were smiling evilly. The dragon wanted desperately to turn back, but alas, the attack came extremely quick and almost before he realized what was happening, the attacks had collided with his stomach and sent him souring to the ground, where he felt he hit his head. Somebody rushed to his side, it was Reina.

"Are you alright?" she gasped, looking at him anxiously.

"I'm . . . fine," he said, realizing that he was back in human form and that his head probably hurt more than Ryota's had. When he finally opened his eyes, he realized that another body had joined him in the pile of scraps that Hypothermon had lay aside - Mikemon - then another, Mekanorimon.

"Ouch!" the robot hummed before he devolved back into chubby Shun, who sat on the ground, clutching his side, probably wishing that a girl like Reina would come to his aid too. Both, however, were able to watch the battle between the new Digimon and their remaining ally- Ryota was now a temporary enemy.

Sorcerimon stood between the Digimon-stricken kids and the ice-cold snow leopard, who didn't look like he was all that interested in fighting.

"Crystal Cloud!" the sorcerer called, sending a barrage of ice from his staff, but Hypothermon simply dodged it by turning his head. Groaning, the powerful Digimon fired his claws at Sorcerimon, who then joined the pile of other defeated ones.

"He's way too powerful," the now devolved Naoki said, raising up his hands at the snow leopard Digimon, who was looking at them through his cold, digital eyes. "Don't hurt us!" he shouted.

And, as though Hypothermon could understand and obey the command, he turned their back on the children, who stared, puzzled, at their new acquaintance, who looked around the forest floor for a moment, then utilized a new feature of which the digital humans had never heard of before - hidden wings sprouted up on the snow leopard's body.

Gasping, the digital humans realized the sheer power of this new Digimon - who, using both the wings and a powerful jet pack located on his back, flew, higher and higher, a bit above the trees.

"What's going on?" Yuka asked innocently.

"Hmm," thought Naoki aloud, "he doesn't seem to be too interested in fighting us. So what's he doing, and where's he going?"  
Now the Digimon seemed fresh and harmless, so the digital children were very surprised when a loud roar came from Hypothermon, who flew higher and faster than ever before (but not as high so anyone spotting, like the military, could see). Takumi also wondered if this Digimon had limits to the pressure it could handle. It seemed so powerful that it looked like it could handle anything . . .

And so Ryota, who was now much more powerful than his previous form, as Hypothermon, disappeared from view, in the direction of the morning sun.

"He's heading east," Takumi stated, pointing in the direction in which he had departed. "Come on! If we transform again, we can follow him."

* * *

Mr. Shale took a book from his drawer and opened it up, skimming through it and scribbling things down on a sheet of paper on his desk. Another weekday. Humming to himself, he put back the pen on his supply case and was about to take out another pad of paper before he was rudely interrupted by another person entering the room (very unwelcome, if I may state).

"So, Mr. Shale, looks like _you've_ lost the bet." Mr. Mes appeared, smiling in a very unusual way and clapping his hands together in excitement.

"Good morning, Okii," greeted the counselor, nodding at the janitor, who took a seat without invitation where patients would normally sit - a small, comfortable chair that was blue in color.

"Good morning to _me,_" corrected the janitor, pointing both index fingers at himself. "Now, Mr. Shale, you wouldn't happen to remember our little _deal_ yesterday? You know - boys skip school, boys get zero?"  
"I remember very clearly," was the reply that he gave, without looking up from his notes.  
"Ah!" shouted Mes with glee. "Then you _might_ want to know something interesting. Neither Hito _nor_ Surashi came. And what did Mr. Bando say yesterday? He had caught them trying to skip school, and like the good boy he was, reported it to the teachers. And you didn't believe him. But I did. I followed him all the way through. And I just learned from Miss Andrews that they were having a quiz in Language Arts that day. Well, quiz goes to zero, I guess! And Mr. Katsumata? He informed me that they had a big social studies test that day. Zero for that, too, for Surashi! Remember?"  
Mr. Shale smiled, not looking up. "Of course I remember. Well, then, I'd write them up zeroes if I were you."  
Mr. Mes hopped up out of his seat and snapped his fingers. "With pleasure, Mr. Shale!" 

Taking a sheet of paper out of a folder, the counselor chuckled. "Though I would advise you, Okii, to take a look at the news. The ONN were just reporting on how they found that Mr. Hito, Mr. Surashi, and Miss Yoshida had all disappeared from their homes possibly this very morning. And Miss Yoshida's account doesn't seem intentional."

Mes laughed, glancing around the counselor's office. "Oh, I dunno. Yoshida? That's be that upstart Reina, am I right? I know who you're talking about. Many time a day I see her chatting with her little friends, littering gum and garbage all over the dang school! Oh yeah - where have I seen her before that? She's that girl that Hito went out to the dance with! No wonder! They're all skipping school _together!_"

Mr. Shale's eyebrows perked up, finally looking up from his paper to peer at the janitor (who was more upstart than Reina ever would be). "I don't know. You may want to have a look at Reina's grades. She doesn't strike me as the type who would feel comfortable with skipping school. And most of the time, students don't skip school in groups of three."

Mes clapped his hands impatiently, staring around in disgust at the paintings that hung on the walls. "Oh, I dunno - it makes sense to _me_ that some boys and a girl would like to skip school and burn their houses for a little rubba-dub-dub, eh, Mr. Shale?"

The counselor sighed. "In the seven years that I have worked here, there have been some nine hundred and seventy-eight incidents of children playing hooky, and I have had no cases of kids setting fire to their homes for it."  
Mes took a seat and breathed of victory. "Ah, but what kin ya do? What kin ya do? Kids these days, thinking they can make pussies of teachers by skipping class - darn lousy kids, thinking that the world is owned by them and that they can walk all over it if they want. When _I _was a child, things didn't go that way! It was, 'work hard and accept life, or get whipped'. Now if you don't mind, I think I'll go and inform the Surashi family, the Hito family, the Yoshidas. I hope they'll be pleasantly surprised!"

Mr. Shale looked up at the ceiling. "Do as you wish, Okii. But if I were you, I would not call them - if you turn out to be wrong and they really are kidnapped, or dead, then it would only make them feel worse. They'll find out later tonight, at any rate."  
"Ah!" spoke Mes, who gazed around for a phone, and upon seeing one shouted "Aha! I found you". Paying no attention to the counselor's words, he picked up the receiver, and started to dial. Humming happily, he waited . . . and waited . . . and waited - until he received . . .

"Static!" shouted the janitor, throwing his fist in an odd way, as though to set down a mop angrily (but he realized halfway through that he didn't have one). "Darn lousy phones! They must be down again!"

He walked away, Mr. Shale smiling amusingly.

_BEEP BEEP._

Mes turned around and surveyed the phone with an exotic expression on his face. "What's wrong with this thing, I wonder?" He picked the electronic up again and held it to his ear. Static again.

The counselor stood up and stretched, sending his wheeled chair rolling backwards. "Well, I leave it to you to fumble with the phone, Okii. Perhaps you should call the producers of that telephone and ask them what's wrong with it."  
"Great idea, Mista Shale!" shouted Mes, as the counselor disappeared out the door. The janitor tried ringing up the phone again, but when he discovered his mistake it was too late - Shale's footsteps could be heard walking down the hall.

Mes shook his head, then rested it in his arms - but not for long.

_CRASH. BJMMP._

"What the -" asked Mes to himself as the whole school shook. He could hear glass shattering. "What the hell was that?"

He then saw what was happening before his very eyes - the windows of Mr. Shale's office had shattered, a large animal had come through. Screaming, Mr. Mes cringed to the corner of the room, watching as what looked like a gigantic blue snow leopard rose his head and released a long, loud roar . . .

_Next time on Digimon Genesis!_

Uh-oh! Looks like Mes is in quite a fix! What is the secret of this ultimate-level Digimon, Hypothermon? What will happen to East Yokohama Middle School? Will the Shadow Gang finally reveal their faces? It's going to be a real 'schoolhouse rock' on the next Digimon Genesis:  
  
STONE COLD

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! This is a real turning point of the series: one of the members of Naoki's team is now dead. Ryota has evolved to the ultimate level. The Shadow Gang is just about to be revealed. So _please_ click that little review button to your left and drop me your thoughts! I'm working to improve, and I love reading them anyway!


	22. Stone Cold

Today, March 15th, 2003, makes Digimon Genesis a year old! *throws confetti* Just a year ago I shrugged and wrote up a 3,000 word first chapter. After I wrote it I posted it directly to a message board, without taking a tiny second to reread it! As a result, many misspellings crept through, and on the first page, Takumi's name was used no less than fifty times. So much has changed over the year . . . now, I actually reread before I post something. *a lie detector beeps* Oh crap . . . well, I've got to go. Be sure to review! This chapter's pretty good! *the lie detector beeps furiously*

Ahh. I've been planning this chapter for a long time. Now I can finally write it! _Please_ review this one. It's huge. It's going to be one the major chapters of the series. So review!

Oh yes, and Daishi = great death? Wow, I didn't know that . . . wait, I mean . . . _of course_ I knew that! Why, very intentional. Just a . . . erm . . . a very clever name selection! Ah, heh-heh. You see, I was hoping that a similarly clever reader would realize that and pick up on my genius. Umm, heh heh . . . 

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon. Crap! I just discovered something. I have a wonderful idea! Instead of making thousands of writers on this site write out disclaimers, how about at the top of the fanfiction.net page we have a big disclaimer? That'd be great! I'm so smart it's not even funny.

Previously on Digimon Genesis,

Miho pointed a gun at the team's face and tried to make them surrender their devices, but Takumi refused! After telling a bit about her history, Miho fired the gun at Takumi! Luckily, Suraiimon heard previous shots and jumped in front of the bullet, blocking it from Takumi. After a brief battle, Jikimon was finally defeated by a missile from the military. Guess she's gone for good! But trouble's still here! Angered by Miho's betrayal, Ryota evolved to his ultimate form - Hypothermon, and entered East Yokohama Middle School! Uh-oh!

****

DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER XXII 

STONE COLD

Mes slumped down against the wall, his only protection against the savage beast in front of him - Hypothermon! The helpless janitor covered his eyes with his hands, aware that these may be his last precious seconds on the face of the Earth.

But the snow leopard Digimon had other plans. After sniffing the area for a minute, the monster growled and exited the room, leaving a confused and bewildered Okii Mes. Cautiously and on all fours, the janitor peeked out the door and saw the animal rush down the corridor, away from his vision. The creature had left. It was a miracle. He was saved! Breathing a sight of relief, Mes promised himself that he would never do anything wrong ever again in spite of the salvation, but he had abandoned many of his resolutions before.

"Damn it!" he cursed as he bumped his head on the door knob of the counselor's office while attempting to stand up. "Stupid door - stupid animal . . . thing . . ." He clutched his forehead and supported himself on his elbows with Mr. Shale's desk. Next he turned his head out the door, out of fear for the crazed monster.

"Must be losing my mind," he stammered, once the pain in his forehead had disappeared. "What the hell was that thing?" He stared down the hall, but no answer awaited him. He shivered, looking at every direction. He would have much preferred that a roar had sounded at that time instead of just a quiet, uncomfortable stillness - when it was too still he had always thought that someone was sneaking up on him. Turning around suddenly, he shouted, "Who - who's there!?" Then, just as suddenly, laughter. With an insane grin on his face, he chuckled: "I _am_ losing my mind." After finding a wall he pounded his head against it three times, saying "Losing it, losing it, _losing it_." Then came a sign from the very same wall that did not comfort him in the least - large, beast-like claw marks on the surface. Mes shook his head in fright and denial. "I'm losing my mind . . . stupid job . . . I can't believe I -"

_ROAR._

A tiger-like roar interrupted his thoughts. "Wh-what was that?" he stammered, but before the words left his mouth he found himself scampering wildly down the staircase, out the door and heading towards the principal's office.

It was a lovely spring day. The birds chirped in their nests, the squirrels zipped up and down the trees, playing an exuberant game of tag. The sun shone brightly, there was not a cloud in the cheery blue sky. Mes hated the sun: It always got in his eyes, and the huge object always made him feel inferior.

But spring day or not, he couldn't just sit there inside the school building, while cleaning up the mud that came from those ugly children's feet. At least not when there was a deadly snow leopard inside it!

When he arrived in the large office of the principal, he started his plan with a thunderous cough. A loud cough, and a fake one at that, but very well disguised. If there was one thing Okii Mes took pride in, it was his talent to fake an illness. When he was a student himself, he had often faked coughs such as these to get his mother to let him stay home. Furiously, he longed that he could have the chance to do the same in his adult life, but too many absences would result in a firing, and his mother was no longer around.

Seeing that his plan had not yet worked, the janitor performed another series of fake coughs. This time, the principal, Mrs. Falle, looked up from her pile of tedious work and faced her employee. "Why hello, Mr. Mes," she greeted, stacking up some papers perfectly and looking up at the caretaker inquiringly.

"Hello, Mrs. Falle," he replied, just before another series of fake coughs. Five, six, seven deadly sounding ones in a row. He clutched his stomach and nodded, then said: "Sorry about that, Mrs. Falle."

The principal looked concerned. "Are you feeling well, Mr. Mes? You don't look so well."  
Before the janitor spoke again, he took this opportunity to unleash a series of more exploding coughs. "Oh, fair 'nough, I guess. Must be the bug that's going around. Might have picked it up from some of the students. I -" More coughs.

"Are - are you feeling well enough to continue your duties for the remainder of the day?" the principal asked. "If you're not feeling okay, perhaps you should go up to the teacher's lounge and get you some coffee."

"Aw, that's alright, thank you though, Mrs. Falle. I think I've had enough coffee today - really, so much that I could throw up."

"Throw up? Well, if you're feeling that bad . . ."  
Mes clutched his stomach and moaned. "I - I really think so. Yeah. I'd best be off - unless I want to be cleanin' up my own puke!" The janitor laughed heartily, then remembering that he was supposed to be coughing, and stopped abruptly to allow more time in for the illness. _Cough, cough._

Mrs. Falle did not share in his laughter. "Well, alright Mr. Mes - do you think you'll be able to make it back here tomorrow?"  
Mes, about to leave out the door, paused awkwardly for a moment. He had not thouhgt of that. So he replied: "Ha ha! Tomorrow! Ha! Yeah, sure . . . tomorrow . . ." 

Mrs. Falle waved good-bye as the janitor opened the door and almost made his exit, when a call distracted her. Mes turned around, curious. Over the intercom system, it was common for Mrs. Falle to request something of the teachers, not vise-versa. A teacher calling her on the intercom was rare.

Mes squinted in curiosity.

"Yes, Mrs. Questus?" Mrs. Falle asked over the intercom to the old teacher, her voice amplified ten times in the small typing room. A sound of static was heard, then a small, high-pitched voice, saying something indistinctive. A moment later, the call was cut off completely, but not before a loud shout was heard on the other side.

The principal hovered over her walkie-talkie (which was used for the intercom), and asked, slowly and softly as a teacher can be, "Mrs. Questus? Mrs. Questus? Are you there?" Ten seconds passed, and no answer. Mes still stood in the hallway, chewing his tongue. Noticing the janitor, Mrs. Falle looked up and asked, "Mr. Mes? Can you go to the typing classroom before you go and see what is going on with Mrs. Questus' class?" Then, without waiting for an answer, said, "Thank you."

Angered by the principal's actions but not stooping down to express it, Mr. Mes turned on his heel and exited the quiet office of Mrs. Falle. Once he was outside and out of sight and earshot of his employer, he gazed up at the second floor of the school, where the typing classroom was located. Could it be that the snow leopard that he had seen earlier was in Mrs. Questus' classroom now, causing chaos and destruction? No doubt. It certainly wasn't a fault in the intercom system.

"Well, I'll be damned if I'm going to go up there and check it out!" he cursed, now looking in the direction of the principal's office, then turning around again to head for his automobile. After a few minute's sprinting, he now was looking in the mirror of his beat-up, blue-painted car. There were chips in the paint and it had been involved in a crash one or two or three times (he couldn't remember which), but it suited him just fine. After fumbling with the many keys that a janitor uses, he inserted one into his car and opened the door. He was about to start the engine when his head turned toward the second floor of the school building again. What was going on up there? He couldn't help but imagine children clawed to death, teachers weeping, boys and girls alike hiding under desks, as the snow leopard raged through the halls . . . 

"Oh, for cryin' out loud!" he shouted, placing his keys back into his pocket and hopping out of the car. And within seconds, he found himself trudging up the stairs to the second floor of East Yokohama Middle School.

Many times the janitor had trampled through this hall, stopping every few minutes to fetch some cleaning tools and complaining for a while. He hated walking down these hallways - whoever had built them had made them long. Thinking back to his boyhood school days, he remembered the frequent times in which he was sent to the principal's office for misbehaving, and how he had trudged down the hall with a red slip in his hand, to old Mrs. Muchiu's room, looking around at the empty hallway, his heart filled with guilt and fear . . . but this time was different. Much different. This time, he was waiting for a real killer - a beast-like creature. But the thought of heroism kept jumping in his mind. If he were to inform the school of this terror and make sure everyone was safe, he would surely get a raise! Mrs. Falle would be crazy not to grant him one; after he saved the whole school, of course.

With these thoughts, his fright turned into a hope, a sparkling hope. Perhaps, this mad animal leaping onto the school grounds was his lucky chance. And he was not going to let his chance go away . . .

He approached the disaster area, expecting to hear screams of pain and pleas for help, in his mind he could see the fanged terror roaring loudly, as little girls hid under their desks, calling wildly, waiting for someone who would save them - a hero. And that hero would be him!

"No need to worry!" shouted the janitor as he turned the corner into the typing classroom, "I'm here now, I'll protect you from that vicious -"

The room was bare. Not a single person was inside it, the only living thing that was there was probably some bacteria. Oh, and of course, Mrs. Questus' pet hamster, Sherbet. Feeling quite foolish, Mr. Mes disgustingly peeked into Sherbet's cage. "No one's here, eh, little rat? Nobody here at all . . ." 

After looking up at the fallen hero timidly, Sherbet continued chewing on his hamster food.

"Ah, why the heck am I even talking to you, stupid old rat, well, ciao! Hope you don't get eaten by that tiger!" Mes laughed wickedly, turning the opposite direction and stopping in disgust after stepping in a small puddle of water on the floor. "Well, that beats all. Darn water! Going to have to do some moppin' this afternoon . . . well, not _this _afternoon . . . when I get back, that is . . ." The janitor, probably feeling even more dumb for talking to himself, reached into his belt and withdrew from it a dark green walkie-talkie. This, he thought, as pressed his mouth to the piece, was one of the few advantages of being a janitor - you were trusted to handle a walkie-talkie. When he pulled it from his pocket or belt and reported something to Mrs. Falle or the assistant principals, he had a feeling that he had made a difference, and he knew that some of the teachers, at the end of the day, wouldn't feel that way.

"All clear . . ." he said into the communicator, after pressing a button.

Static.

"What the?" Mes cried as he held the walkie-talkie to his ear. "I never heard of such a thing - I swear that -"

_SWOOSH._

Doubling back, Mr. Mes had a look of uncertainty and fear on his face. The _swoosh _was followed by loud, low footsteps, like someone running. Laughing to himself, the janitor wiped his forehead of sweat and turned his head out the door of the typing classroom. What he saw there made him tremble. The snow leopard Digimon had just turned a sharp corner!  
He slumped to the ground, his back to the wall. Wide-eyed, he muttered: "Forget - forget Mrs. Falle. She can go - find out what the heck happened to Mrs. Questus's class . . . I'm - I'm getting the hell out of here!" After making sure the coast was clear, he crawled pathetically out the door and down the hall.

The hallway . . . if only he knew which way to turn, he may avoid the monster, and possibly death. He looked around, wondering which corner to turn. He could perhaps follow the snow leopard and escape through the stairs below, or maybe he could make a quick escape to the stairs nearby, desperately praying that he would not encounter the snow leopard on his way there . . .

He chose the latter option, and though he considered going back the opposite way, he persevered. As he crawled, he wished that he had refused to go up the stairs in the first place. And for what? To be a hero? No . . . he didn't find anything in the classroom but water, and there he was now, crawling on the floor, a helpless janitor.

As he turned the corner he gasped and stared up at the stern face. It was not the monster, but he would much rather had it not been anything at all.

"H-hello, Mr. Shale," the janitor stuttered, awkwardly putting out his hand for the counselor to shake. He knew he looked awfully stupid, on the ground, trying to shake hands . . .

Shale shook his head. "What are you doing, Okii, crawling on the floor like a toddler? There is much work at hand. Have you yet crossed paths with a vicious snow leopard?"  
"W-what?" asked Mes, standing up and looking around. "What? So you've seen it too! Protect me, Mr. Shale - I-I'm sure that thing would like to eat me alive." Okii Mes expected the counselor to laugh, but he did not.

"There's a much better chance of it _freezing_ you alive, Okii. That creature there has the power to turn it's opponents into ice - and then, using a powerful blue ray, it melts them at breathtaking speed, turning them into nothing but bits of water molecules."  
"W-what!?" gasped Mes, turning back and pointing dangerously at Mrs. Questus' room. "That - that's where all that water come from! It's the beast! He killed 'em! He killed 'em all!"  
"Calm down, Okii!" cried the counselor, forcing the janitor's arm down. "There's still a chance that we may be able to save the rest of the school yet. We just need to work together, that's all. That snow leopard does not stand a chance, and if we split, neither shall we."

Mes continued to babble. "B-but Mr. Shale! C'mon, you stupid old guidance guy, we need to get _out_. _Out!_ If we don't get out, that thing'll kill us both!" Then, seeing Mr. Shale disappear down the hall, he muttered to himself:  
"Fine then. That stupid old idiot can get himself killed if he wants to, _I'm _getting my butt to my car!" The doors to the stairs were not that far away. If only he could make it, then he would be able to save himself. He would be assured quite a few more years of life . . . it did not matter about the rest of the school. He had tried his best, he had shown his courage, he tried his best to save Mrs. Questus and her class, but he was too late. If Mr. Shale and the rest of the school were willing to get themselves turned into a liquid, that would be just fine for him! _He_ was getting out. He pushed the heavy door out of his way and was about to be assured, but something stopped him . . .

Surely this incident at the school would make headlines. It'd be everyone's favorite gossip topic of the week . . . and he knew who would be on the top of their gossip list! _Him_. The headlines . . . the headlines . . . he could see them in print now . . . _Cowardly Janitor Makes Getaway from School after Attack from Strange Creature . . . Courageous Counselor Saves the Day!_

He stared back at all the green lockers, the empty hallway . . . and . . . a scream! Making his resolution, he declared to the metal locks: "Hear me now! I ain't going to fall victim to no headlines!" Narrowing his eyes, he charged down the dark hall, to where the scream had come from . . . Miss Andrews' classroom. Chaos awaited him.

Horrified, he stepped back after he had entered the room. Desks were overturned. Papers were flung everywhere. Students toppled over each other, Miss Andrews and Mr. Shale on the scene, trying to restore order, but there was not a single chance of that happening - the snow leopard monster was there, howling and roaring at great volume. Miss Andrews' voice was high and shrill over the screams and shouts of terror in the class, though no one looked seriously injured:

"Please! Students, line up, single-file, one behind the other, get out, don't let the monster get you - just pretend it's a fire drill!" But this did anything but reassure them, for seconds later there was another scream, but this time it was high-pitched and painful-sounding . . . it would ring in Mes's ears for the rest of his life.

"Masami!" a shout came from Miss Andrews.

Mes gasped. Masami Okabe, his black hair waving wildly in the wind of a powerful attack, stood transfixed in front of the snow leopard monster as it flung it's head back and shouted:  
"Freeze Tranquil!"

A blue, fiery-looking substance came from the snow leopard's mouth, which hit Masami hard in the stomach. The boy looked like he would pass out from the attack, but he did not, he stood there, his eyes closed, his body twitching in pain, as some of the students realized what was happening . . .

"He's turning into ice!" shouted Yuuko over the rest of the class, right before screaming loudly as the boy's entire body was covered with the thick substance.

Masami stood, frozen like a statue, as the whole crowd of people stood, wide-eyed, their mouths open with shock, as the next attack came. A cool, icy mist came from the monster's nostrils, approaching the victim quickly, then circling his frozen body like a snake. Closer and closer came the ice snake, until Masami was completely covered with it . . .

The class still stood in horror, as the ultimate-level snow leopard finished with his project. After the mist scattered, both teachers and students stood in shock.

"He's gone!" pointed out red-haired Takashi Shimada. "There's nothing left but water!" The whole room stood, like statues as well, gaping in terror and fear at what just happened. Mes felt like his insides had been spilt out onto the ground, and that he would not be able to move again.

_GURR._ The armored snow leopard, satisfied with his work, let out a loud, terrible roar, though the janitor thought it sounded strangely like a yawn. In alarm, the class tried to squeeze themselves out the door, Mes among them. It was every man for himself, now. Even Miss Andrews and Mr. Shale's combined efforts could not control the students, but both of them felt a bit hysterical.

As the former tried to calm down the students as Hypothermon gazed around the room, searching for his next target, Mr. Shale pressed himself against a wall and said into his own walkie-talkie to the principal: "We've got a tiger in Miss Andrews' classroom . . . yes . . . a tiger in the classroom . . . please warn the school . . . thank you." Mr. Mes watched the scene with jealousy and wonder.

"Now, how come mine won't do that?" he asked, pulling out his useless walkie-talkie. "Oh well! There's no time for that now!" The caretaker brought himself out the door, pushing a frightened and squealing Yuuko Waterfield out of his way. Miss Andrews shouted at him for his nerve, but he didn't care, his life was at stake now. Over the announcements came Mrs. Falle's words, but he could not hear them, though he was sure that she was trying to be reassuring and pretend there was nothing wrong - as she always was.

"Cold Cannons!"

A scream from the students remaining in Miss Andrews' classroom heralded the impact of two large missiles into the wall. The janitor too let out a yell of panic as huge bricks soured through the sky, covering the ground. He kicked one out of his way after tripping on it, then made his way through the chaos and to the doors to the stairs, where a mess of students had already gathered, getting no where fast in their chaotic anxiety.

Other classrooms were filing out too, some basking in the sheer luck of getting a "tiger" running in the school during a test, some who were moving about with wonder, and some who knew that the situation was serious, but all backed up in fright when they saw the huge hole in the wall of Miss Andrews' class.

"Friggin' kids!" Mes hollered as he pushed more out of his way, getting scowls from teachers and children everywhere. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw five children run down the hallway, pointing at the snow leopard.

"There he is!" shouted one of them - "Hypothermon, ultimate level. His Freeze Tranquil attack freezes the enemy like an ice cube! Looks like this one's going to be a tough one, guys."

Mes gasped, full of anger, when he saw who one of them was. He would recognize that face anywhere: It was the Hito boy!

"There you are!" he shouted, standing up in front of them, his arms out so they wouldn't be able to escape. All of them looked anxious. One of them, he noticed, looked only about nine years of age, and a girl of the same height looked only as young as he was. Then there was the young lady who had caused his many troubles before, Reina Yoshida. And then - he couldn't believe his eyes - the boy who went to juvenile hall - the boy that was _dead!_

"I'm seein' things!" he stammered, pointing at Shun Oshiro. "You! You're - you're still alive - what the - ugh, never mind that!" Stomping his foot loudly, he now pointed his middle finger at Takumi. "What're you doin' here, Hito? Where's your friend, Mr. Surashi? Probably still out _skipping school_?"

The Hito boy made a note of impatience. "Let us through, Mes," he ordered, with a certain fire in his voice, "or you'll bring more trouble onto yourself."  
In a fit of rage, the janitor lunged at Takumi, his arm around the boy's throat, Mes hollering loudly, as the Hito boy choked and coughed.

"Let go of him!" shouted Reina, just before Mes picked up Takumi by the throat and threw him to what was left of the wall. Holding him violently, the janitor said, with eyes pierced and a snarl in his voice, "You - you know something, Hito. Why did you show up at the time that this tiger showed up? There's something about you - AND I'M GOING TO FIND OUT WHAT IT IS!" Mes shook the boy violently, Takumi feeling like he was going to cough up blood any second now.

"Let go of him!" repeated Reina shrilly, to the support of the rest of the digital humans. "You'll hurt him!"

Mes turned around, not releasing his grip on Takumi's throat. "Shut up, you - you whore," he spat. The insult made Reina mad, which was the janitor's obvious intention, but he did not intend what happened next -

"UGH!"

Reina, furious at the insult, delivered a swift kick to Mes's crotch. 

"Ow!" Mes roared, clasping the hurt area and cursing madly, allowing Takumi to escape from the janitor's grip and join the others, who set off to restore order down the hall.

"Cursed, stupid, pus-brains," he muttered, once he was able to stand again. "I'll kill 'em. I'll kill 'em, I swear. I'll kill 'em all!"

Just then, Mes felt the remaining bit of the wall give way, and, after the fall of many more bricks came the snow leopard Digimon - Hypothermon. Growling fiercely, it stared into Mes's eyes with a cold hatred.

Gasping, Mes looked where the wall had once been and saw the classroom, utterly destroyed from the powers of the tiger. He could not find Miss Andrews and Mr. Shale, they must have left to help the children get out. Sure enough, he saw as the teachers opened the doors, ushering students to get out to safety, leaving him alone . . . all alone . . . before the terrible beast . . .

"Nice . . . kitty?" Mes gulped, backing into another wall.

"FREEZE TRANQUIL!"  
A loud scream crept through the hallways of the second floor of the school as the cold breath came from Hypothermon's mouth and literally froze the janitor in his tracks. The next blast came but three seconds later, leaving only water where once stood Mr. Mes.

* * *

Takumi knew that even though the truth would become glaringly obvious soon, he didn't want to show himself as a Digimon just yet. Along with his friends, they reached the end of the hall and doubled around, arriving just as Hypothermon had succeeded in turning their janitor into a liquid. Though they were all devastated by this shocking act (even those who had not met him before), no more time could be lost.

"TRANSFORM!" Four times were these words said, and four times did the hallway glow different colors. Unbeknownst to the other students, the last bit of them who had classes on the second floor heading out the door, the human children Takumi, Naoki, Shun, and Yuka were replaced by their menacing (and sometimes cute, like Mikemon) monster forms. Reina watched anxiously as the other digital humans charged at their former companion, unable to evolve or do anything.

Takumi's first concern was for Reina. Turning to her, he growled: "Reina, get out of here. You're just as in a bad position as the other kids!" 

Nodding, the girl turned obediently just as an aimless attack from the snow leopard Digimon greased the walls. Seeing this, Reina dashed downstairs, hopefully to find safety . . .

Hiamon wished her luck and then turned his attention to the battle before him. With a mighty thud, Sorcerimon was sent to the ground ("UGH!"). The ice wizard's magic had failed once again, so he turned back to recollect his staff, which had fallen from his hands once again. _That's Naoki's weakness,_ thought the great dragon with a tinge of fear, _I wonder what mine is, and how quickly Hypothermon will be able to find it?_

It had been just a few seconds after the snow leopard Digimon had fled in the distance of East Yokohama Middle School that the other digital humans desired to take action. They transformed to their Digimon forms and were in hot pursuit of Hypothermon when they found his destination. Then they had transformed back into their human forms and entered the school.

If Naoki's D-Monster reading was correct (and it always was), then Hypothermon was an ultimate level Digimon - meaning that it was one level higher than the others. Hiamon watched, transfixed, as the advanced monster hurled a powerful blow at Mikemon, the cat Digimon. _Could this mean that Hypothermon could take them all on at once, and still succeed?_ He didn't want to dwell on it once more, and rushed into the fight . . . 

_BANG._ The ultimate was knocked against a wall, thanks to the dragon, who flew a few feet overhead, smiling in his cunning. "Ryota, you're our friend," he growled, as Mikemon got back up. Then, turning to his friends, he stated: "Everyone! Attack at the same time! Get his digivice from him!" A laugh-growl at the snow leopard, who quickly recovered: "Then we'll turn him back to his normal self."  
But the ultimate didn't seem to want to give up that easily. Roaring ferociously, it sprang at the other Digimon circling him as though he had never been hit.

"Attack!" shouted Hiamon. "NOW!"

A hum from Mekanorimon, the robot Digimon, announced his explosive, but short-lived attack: "Twin Beam!" But the vehicle monster was overturned when Hypothermon jumped in front of him. The attack did not stop, however. The beam hit the ceiling hard, and the next think Takumi knew he was covered in the white dust that had once been over them.

All of the Digimon stared up at the gap - the technique had been so powerful it had gone right through the attic of storage. Sunlight poured in from the hole. Seeing his chance for more victims, the snow leopard Digimon soared to the roof and roared boastfully, as if daring the others to follow him.

And so it was: Sorcerimon, holding his staff in front of him threateningly, raised himself to the roof, along with Mekanorimon, who buzzed his way upward, then Mikemon, who hitched a ride on Hiamon. The only one who seemed to see the disadvantage of fighting outside was Naoki.

"Everyone," he said, pointing at their opponent, "this is more trouble than before. He's out in the open now - and there are people everywhere!" Now his finger turned to the bewildered students and staff on the ground, some of which were pointing up, realizing more monsters on the roof. 

Hypothermon backed to the other side of the roof, his attention not on the people below at all. His instinct compelled him to fight the Digimon, the ones that possessed real power. He was looking for a true battle!

Sorcerimon floated in the air, nodding at Hiamon. "Shun, Yuka, and I will be helping out below. This battle will probably take some time. You both display much power, and it will be best to help the people underneath us first."

The dragon stared at this statement. "What - what do you mean? _You,_ help the people down below? What will they think? What will _I _do?"

The ice wizard gave him a look that told Hiamon that his choice had been clear and was not going to be changed. "You, Takumi, will fight Hypothermon. You're the only person who really stands a chance against him."

Mikemon's cat-like head nodded in agreement. "Yes, you really proved yourself well in that tournament that we had?"

Head turning in confusion from side to side, Mekanorimon asked robotically: "What tournament? What are you speaking of?"  
The others ignored him, their eyes on Hiamon.

"That's right," said Sorcerimon. "In that tournament that Miho held. While it was meant for bad, it was really for good. It gave us a good estimate of our powers."  
"W-what?" asked Hiamon desperately, staring around at the crowd of people and the Digimon before him. "Have you guys gone brain-dead? _I_ lost in the first round of that tournament. Ryota won it, and he's growling at us right now!"  
It seemed like everyone had forgotten the roaring snow leopard, staring at the others with eyes of rage.

Naoki shook his Digimon head, ignoring it for a moment. "No, you don't understand, Takumi. I made it to the second round of that tournament. I lost against Kibamon - because of my staff." He stared regretfully at it. "Without it - I'm nothing. I can hardly summon an attack. If I were to lose my staff again in the middle of the battle, then I would be history. And this wouldn't be a silly tournament - it'd be _real._ Plus, I'm an ice-type Digimon. So is Hypothermon. And he's on a higher level than me. Do the math - I'd lose in an instant."

"But -"  
"And haven't you studied science?" asked the sorcerer, picking the subject in which Takumi had made an F in, "_Fire_ melts ice." He gave a reassuring look. "After everyone is safe, we'll come back and join in. And if all of us combine our strength, there's no way that Ryota can beat us - even if he _is_ at a higher level than us."

"But -" He sighed. There was no getting around it. When Naoki made up his mind, he wouldn't change it. Just as he and the other two digital monsters were about to leave to the ground, Hiamon pleaded: "Please, Naoki - make sure Reina is safe." His dragon-like eyes were filled with desperation. "I would _die_ if anything were to happen to her. It would be all my fault."  
Sorcerimon nodded with a reassuring look on his face, before leaping to the green grass below. The great dragon that was Takumi wondered if their plans of leading the people to safety would work. Turning to his opponent, who was growling with impatience, Hiamon knew that he couldn't dwell on it any longer. Naoki, Yuka, and Shun could worry about that . . . he had to focus on _his_ duty.

* * *

Hopelessly, Miss Andrews looked up at the school and sighed. "Oh, I wonder where in the world I'm going," she said tiredly as she applied a bandage to Yuuko Waterfield's leg (the girl had fallen down the stairs in the rush to get out of the school just minutes before). "There. All better now." The know-it-all student thanked her teacher and found some shade near a tree, wondering what was going to happen as well, and thinking of that snow leopard monster. Whatever it was . . . 

The gym teacher, Mr. Akimoto, and Mr. Shale, and some other students, some from Miss Andrews' class, other from Mr. Katsumata's (who had cowardly fled from the school at the sight of the snow leopard) stood nearby, uncertain looks on their faces.

Peering up at the counselor, Miss Andrews complimented: "Thank you, Mr. Shale. Without you, I'm sure none of us would have survived." 

Teran Turpis, among the students in Mr. Katsumata's class, snorted, his cronies "Fatty" and "Bones" sniggering loudly after him.

Shale sighed and looked as though he did not do anything heroic. "Oh, I shouldn't get all the credit. Okii sadly perished in the attack of the snow leopard. As well as Masami. Upon later checking, I also have found that Mrs. Questus, the typing teacher, Mrs. Daishi, the art teacher, and Mrs. Shibasaki, the shop teacher, suffered the same fate . . ."

The teacher sighed, wiping her eyes and staring at the sky. "Well . . . Masami was a good student. A good student with a good heart. And Mr. Mes . . ." but she paused at that moment. She couldn't find anything good to say about him.

At that moment Teran Turpis, the elected seventh grade bully, pointed up at the dying school above. "Look at that!" he shouted, and the whole crowd gasped in astonishment as a dragon appeared on the roof.

Shaking his head hopelessly, the counselor put his hands in his pockets.

"They're fighting!" pointed out Chiaki Bonanza. "Wow, wow, look at that dragon go!" He jumped up excitedly. 

At that moment both the teachers and the students forgot the previous dangers and stared in wonderment at the fight.

"Do - do you think that the dragon's on our side?" asked a boy in Miss Andrews' class named Tadashi Shimada.   
"Doubt it," said Turpis, rolling his tongue in his mouth. "I think they're both wild, and fighting for meat." Suddenly, the dragon, Hiamon, was hit in the chest with the missiles of Hypothermon. "Haha!" shouted the bully, throwing a fist into the air in excitement, as though the fierce battle was simply a dangerous sport. "Take that, you stupid dragon!"

"Yeah," agreed "Fatty" who rarely spoke, due to a fear that his words would not be accepted among his only friends, Turpis and Bones, "but wouldn't it be cool - to _be_ one of those animals? What if you could actually turn _into_ a dragon - or that leopard thing up there? It'd be awesome!"

At this, Turpis laughed. "Shut up, Ahab," he snickered, though he too, in his wildest dreams, wished that he could transform into one of those "animals".

* * *

"You've caused enough damage, Ryota," the dragon grunted firmly, after receiving the hard blow in the chest. "But you won't be doing anything much longer. I'm going to get to your device, and switch you back into a human!" Hiamon withdrew his long, steel-like claws viciously. Hypothermon growled threateningly, and suddenly jumped to the dragon's side, the snow leopard's own claws out.

But Takumi was ready. "Oh no you don't!" he roared as he used his wings to leave the rooftop, only for both fighters' claws to collide in mid-air. They both landed on opposite sides, the reptile standing where Hypothermon once stood. "Not going down easily, huh?" said the dragon, wings flapping slowly, as steadily he raised himself from the top of the school and into the limitless sky. Before he knew it, the ultimate-level Hypothermon was now a speck on the ground.

Claws out, ready to strike, the beast roared: "TRIPLE DRAGON TALON!"

Like a rocket Hiamon dashed to the Earth, a feeling of victory in his mind. Impact came almost milliseconds before the dragon realized what was happening. The air attacked his face, it felt wonderful . . . sadly, victory and a sense of joy is what one feels before disaster happens.

Just as he was about to seriously injure his opponent, his friend, Hypothermon dodged the attack . . .

"BUGH!" the dragon shouted as he felt his metallic claws sinking down into the roof, down, through the floors of the school, until he felt one claw hit the ground forcefully. Not stopping to wonder how much damage he emitted, he peered at the hurt claw. It looked bent and looked almost as though it would snap. The next thing that irritated him were the screams . . . there were screams everywhere. His eyes closed, he wondered where they came from . . . then he remembered. The people.

In sheer terror, students and teachers alike dashed about on the grounds frantically, not knowing what to do or who to trust. Some escaped across the street and separated themselves as far away from the monsters as possible, but others stayed put, seeking guidance from the "peaceful" monsters.

It had taken some time to get things in order. Sorcerimon was the one that the humans were least afraid of - after all, he was humanoid and looked peaceful. Mikemon was on the border-line. People knew that she was a cat - but not a very tame-looking cat. The only thing reassuring about her was her small size. Being the most avoided was Mekanorimon, the vehicle Digimon - poor Shun, in monster mode, looked around wildly, wondering why students and teachers would trust Naoki, but not him. It never occurred to him that he looked quite like a walking tank.

"Follow me!" Sorcerimon had cried, putting out his arm and pointing to the street. "I will guide you to safety - as long as you are with me, everything will be alright, I'll help you, if trouble arises, I will fight off the monsters . . ."

The cat monster, Mikemon, in her tiny voice and small size, did not look like she could fight off a Chihuahua, assured them the same thing, but received fewer followers. Mekanorimon didn't get any at all, so stood there sadly, a dumb, defenseless robot, watching the battle, not able to do anything at all.

"Ahhh!"

A cry from Miss Andrews when Hiamon crashed through the floors of the school. In fear, the crowd scattered, until the only ones left were Chiaki, Miss Andrews, and Mr. Akimoto.

"Keep close, Chiaki," warned the gym teacher as half the school was destroyed from the dragon's failed attempts to stop Hypothermon. "No one knows when or where they will move."  
Little did he know that his words would come true in almost an instant. Hiamon recovered from his rough landing and stared into the eyes of Hypothermon, who flew to the dragon's location, claws out, ready to strike . . .

The reptile howled in pain when the steel claws picked into his side. It was possibly the worst pain he had ever experienced in his entire life. Takumi knew that if he were a human, blood would be rushing out, spilling, to where the claws had entered - but he was a Digimon now, and was therefore very well protected against even the most powerful attacks.

Unsatisfied, the snow leopard ultimate fired more missiles from his body, which hit the dragon just when he took to the skies.

"UGH!"

The attack was not as powerful as the previous one, but the devastating blow knocked him right out of the sky. His landing place was the street in front of the school - where conveniently lay Miss Andrews, Mr. Akimoto, and Chiaki.

"Ahh!"

A cry from Miss Andrews as the dragon hit the road, shaking the Earth and knocking a streetlight to the ground.

"Chiaki, look out!" shouted the gym teacher as the pole fell from it's place and came down like a tall tree during a storm, then landed, hitting the boy's leg.

"Ugh!" the troublemaker moaned when it hit; the loud crunch of Chiaki's leg made it clear that he was in deep pain. When the light hit, the glass flung about in a mess on the streets, as teachers and students made their getaway, whether or not the dragon was on their side or not, they were very afraid of it. Some were led by the friendly Digimon, and others tried to make their departure alone, and did not seek the aid of Sorcerimon, Mikemon, and Mekanorimon. When they dashed down the streets in a mad hurry, they did not notice nor care of the fallen streetlight or Chiaki's poor leg.

Just as the streetlight crashed, another Digimon came to the ground, but this one wasn't friendly - well, at least now, it wasn't.

Hypothermon laughed in a growl, seeing his opponent the dragon hurt and injured. "No . . ." the dragon moaned, realizing the people behind him.

It took the combined efforts of Miss Andrews and Mr. Akimoto to move the streetlight from Chiaki's now broken leg. The boy was moaning and in serious pain, but nothing was life-threatening - at least, the seventh grade teacher thought thankfully, that the pole had not hit him in the head - and it had very near done so. The gym teacher sought to help the troublemaker up, not worrying over the Digimon battling before him . . .

"Satoshi!" Miss Andrews shrieked as Hypothermon threw Hiamon to the ground once again. Takumi knew, knew he had to protect the people behind him . . . but how, when he couldn't even protect himself . . .

Now bored with the dragon, the ultimate-level Digimon sought another opponent. But all other Digimon were far away by now, and he wasn't in the mood for a battle with those weak champions . . . though he desired a little target practice. The three humans in front of him would serve that purpose greatly . . . he roared, announcing his new fight . . .

"Are you alright?" Mr. Akimoto asked kindly as he helped Chiaki to his feet (or rather, to one of his feet, he could not stand properly on the other one). The female teacher shrieked and pointed as Hypothermon stood, but fifteen feet away from them. But it was too late . . .

"COLD CANNONS!" shouted the bored snow leopard as the two missiles came from his shoulders, headed straight for Chiaki . . .

"No!" the gym teacher shouted, jumping up in front of the boy . . . "UGGH!" Then, with a thud, Mr. Akimoto fell to the ground, clutching his chest in pain.

Crying and shouting in horror, Miss Andrews came quickly to the gym teacher's side, turning him over on his backside. "Satoshi! Satoshi!" she shouted in his ear. To her surprise, he answered:  
"Keiko . . . please . . . take Chiaki . . . get out of here now . . . there's nothing you can do . . ." Then, the seventh grade teacher realized that his body was swimming in a pool of blood.

"Oh, Satoshi!" she cried, the tears coming from her eyes. "You protected Chiaki - you protected _me_ - oh, I promise that one day your name will be all over the history books, once this thing is sorted out . . . Satoshi Akimoto, the hero! One day, one day, I promise - I promise that there'll be a school in your name!"  
With a last smile, the gym teacher closed his eyes and rolled his head.

Hypothermon stood, impatient and ready to kill again. "COLD CANNONS!" he shouted, but this time the attack missed, Miss Andrews grabbed Chiaki on Mr. Akimoto's orders and with him escaped across the street.

The snow leopard Digimon made no attempt to follow them, it was too little a reward to kill a human. Turning to his last opponent, Hiamon, he realized that the great dragon was still alive . . . but just barely. A satisfied smile lit up on the ultimate's face, he had roughed him up quite a bit. But he wasn't there to play wrestling . . . he came for the kill. "COLD - ugh!"

Stopped in the middle of his attack, he turned around to see who was there. He snarled upon seeing who it was.

The red fox, Suraiimon, growled in confrontation. "Don't hurt Takumi!" she said, leaping into the air and gliding, almost flying, to Hypothermon's place on the ground.

Hiamon slowly regained consciousness. He heard feet tapping on the ground, attack cries and more, but he could not tell what was happening . . . then he remembered. Hypothermon! But who was the other one fighting? It was himself! But then, he realized that that did not make sense. There was someone else fighting . . .

Opening his eyes, he saw a flash of red. This made him stand up on his legs and stare wide-eyed in horror. It was Suraiimon - Reina! What was she doing here?

"Reina!" the dragon shouted. "Why did you fight?" Now he was fully aware and ready to fight whatever would threaten the girl's life. He flew, high over the school . . . there was no one there now, everyone had disappeared. Through the holes in his wings he fired his devastating attack: "Flame Rain!"

The flame fell like a rain shower to the ground, bouncing off Hypothermon's metallic armor. Suraiimon was close by, engaged in battle with the snow leopard monster.

"Season Bullet!" she cried as multicolored arrows were fired from her mouth, but the attack had the same effect as Takumi's - nothing.

"COLD CANNONS!" shouted Hypothermon, firing a huge missile at Suraiimon.

"No!" Hiamon roared and flew to the ground, his claws out - "TRIPLE DRAGON TALON!"

This time, the snow leopard Digimon was unprepared. "Braugh!" it grunted as the claws made impact, sending it flying across the schoolyard. 

Hiamon met Suraiimon on the ground, making animal-like sounds.

"Reina," said the dragon, "Naoki told you not to fight. _I_ don't want you to fight. I don't want you to get hurt -" His sentence was interrupted when Suraiimon fired her claws at him.

"What!?" Hiamon shouted as he narrowly avoided them. Then he remembered - Suraiimon still couldn't control herself, not having owned a D-Monster digivice. But it seemed as though the fox Digimon went for the more powerful first - as Hypothermon was brought back to his feet, both Suraiimon and Hiamon used their claw attacks: "TRIPLE DRAGON TALON!" "SIDEWINDER CLAW!"

Suraiimon's attack hit first and had little effect, though it did cause a small dent in the ultimate's armor. Hiamon's secondary attack came next, causing a huge amount of damage. The snow leopard was taken by surprise once again, when the dragon, claws out, hit him sharp on the chest.

"URRGH!" This time, the claws made a _huge_ dent in Hypothermon's metallic armor, sending the advanced Digimon off his feet and on his backside.

"Now, to get that device!" shouted Hiamon happily, while Suraiimon sharpened her claws on an old signpost. The blue device had been released about the double attack. Now there was only one thing to do, and that was to push the top button to bring Hypothermon to rest.

Using his own red D-Monster, Hiamon transformed back to his human form - Takumi Hito. After examining his hands and getting adjusted to his smaller size, he pressed the top button on the blue digivice. He waited anxiously for Hypothermon to transform back to Ryota . . .

"Come on, come on," said Takumi impatiently, watching as the ultimate level Digimon slowly got back to it's feet. It took a while for him to realize that the button was no use - he pressed it again and again, but nothing happened. "Huh?" Startled, he gaped at Hypothermon and the device in horror, then remembered Ryota's failed attempts before to control himself, to not evolve. The button had no effect then, too. Then that meant . . .

Suddenly - "Freeze Tranquil!"   
Takumi jumped and narrowly avoided a cool morning ice blast. Crouching down behind some rubble of the nearly destroyed school, he used the communication button on his D-Monster to contact Naoki: "Naoki, get help, quick! Hypothermon, too powerful, can't be controlled with device - Reina's already here -" His excited conversation was briefly cut off as another ice blast came towards him. This time he ducked, feeling the frighteningly cold beam clean the top of his head. As he got up, he felt his hair and felt his hands close over something solid and wet. "Eww," he complained. "Frozen hair." But there was no time to deal with ice cubes in his hair, he had to act fast: "TRANSFORM!" A flash of red light heralded the arrival of the great dragon Digimon, Hiamon - again.

Suraiimon stood up, ready to fight again with her partner. Ready to solve their problems the same way they did last time, the two Digimon fired their attacks at the same time: "Flame Rain!" "Season Bullet!" Astonishingly, their two most powerful attacks combined did not phase the ultimate's metallic armor.

"Flame Rain!" shouted Hiamon again, but this time his advanced opponent used the ice attack. They caught in the middle, a mountain of steam emitting from the attack, which quickly dissolved.

A cold, undesirable look flashed in Hypothermon's small, demon-like eyes. For some reason, it told Takumi that the animal wasn't going to play around anymore. His thoughts were correct.

"COLD -"  
His attack was cut short. In a second, Sorcerimon, Mikemon, and Mekanorimon appeared behind the ultimate level Digimon and held him back, the advanced type struggling in fury and firing attacks aimlessly.

"Just in time!" cheered Hiamon, as Suraiimon devolved back to the human girl, Reina. The dragon's cheers were interrupted at this. "Reina!" he shouted as the girl fell to the ground, looking tired and ill.

The sorcerer, the cat, and the robot tried their best to keep Hypothermon still, but it was no use, being a level higher than a champion, it could easily best three of them with their powers combined. When he was free, the snow leopard let a howl of victory.

Sorcerimon, always calm, looked as though he had a plan. "Takumi, you say that you tried to use the device to devolve him, but it failed!"  
Hiamon grunted in reply, his attentions turned to Reina.

"Then . . ." thought the ice wizard, glancing at the fallen girl, "I think the only way to beat him is if he runs out of energy."

"Runs out of energy?" buzzed Mekanorimon. "But - that would take a long time! He's an ultimate level, after all, I imagine he has more energy than that of a champion Digimon - such as ourselves."

"I know," nodded Naoki in return, "but it's just about the only thing we can do now. Wait for him to run out of energy."

Growling and ready to resume battle, the snow leopard charged at Sorcerimon . . .

"I don't think so!" said the ice wizard, raising his staff high in the air - too late. Just as the humanoid Digimon was about to initiate an attack, Hypothermon struck, knocking the staff clear out of Naoki's hands and onto the pavement, where it lay useless.

"Oh . . ." moaned Sorcerimon as he realized that the ultimate had zoned in on his one weakness. Instead of killing him, however, the snow leopard simply doubled back and kicked the wizard in the stomach, knocking him to his knees.

"Cat Claw!" cried Mikemon, coming to her friend's aid, but she too was batted around like a housecat, punched into a remaining wall of the school, then slumped to the ground, moaning with pain.

Shun was determined to prove himself a good fighter. In his Digimon mode, he shouted: "If you want to get to the others, you have to get through me - first!" Spreading his vacuum-like arms, he was able to shield the exhausted Reina and Hiamon from view of the cold hunter, but the robot wasn't about to stand in his way.

"Cold Cannons," said the ultimate lazily, as he executed his secondary attack, deadly missiles from his shoulders.

"BUGH!" Mekanorimon hummed as he was hit in the chest (or whatever part of his vehicle digital monster body where a chest would be most commonly placed). The robot Digimon fell to the ground again, a poor loser yet again.

Now there were only two people left who weren't knocked out or unable to move. One of those two, a dragon, looked up and growled, ready to die rather than to fail the girl beside him. "YOU WON'T HURT REINA!" Another missile attack. Hiamon fell to the ground, almost as useless as the others.

Four down, one to go. With the sense of one completing a long and tiring job, Hypothermon walked slowly to the young girl, held his claws near her chest . . .

"No," Hiamon moaned. He could not see what was happening, he could not hear it either. But he knew. Somehow, he had to stand up. Had to protect Reina . . . Sighing, he lay to the ground. Everything was hopeless. Hopeless. Reina was surely dead, as well as his friends. He was dying, too. He just had to give up now. Give it up, all of it up . . . _If this is dying,_ thought the dragon, _this isn't so bad._ It was just black. He had not a thought in the world, and was in but a glorious, deep sleep. If only he could have that dream again . . . that dream where he was flying . . . he soared over the clouds . . . but then he remembered the last part of the dream. The sky had separated into two. There was an empty, black place for him. He was no where, and he no longer had wings.

Like awakening from a nightmare, Hiamon quickly sat up and stared around him. Reina . . . Hypothermon . . . the claws . . .

"NO!" growled the dragon, his own claws up, ready to tear Hypothermon to bits, and that he did. "I - WON'T - LET - YOU - KILL - ANYONE - ANYMORE!" Punch after punch was delivered to the snow leopard Digimon. It didn't matter to Takumi any more, whether he was an ultimate level Digimon or the most powerful Digimon in the world, he had to stop him . . . Now, the metallic armor dented, his body scarred, some of his teeth knocked out, Hypothermon hardly looked as menacing and as stupendous as before. Hiamon was the victor. Suddenly, the dragon realized what he just did . . .

"I beat you," the dragon breathed, "I beat you. I beat you. Give up. You can't win anymore." As though to counter Hiamon's words, the snow leopard suddenly opened it's cold eyes, looking extremely murderous. The next thing he knew he was thrown back, landing somewhere in the street. His back was now the one that was bleeding and scarred. Next up would be Reina. The attack on Hypothermon was only delaying the inevitable.

"No . . ." Hiamon moaned as he watched the scene again, as though it were a television rerun. Next, the unthinkable happened.

"URGH!"

Hypothermon glowed a radiant blue, and in the place of the once highly dangerous ultimate level Digimon stood Ryota. He fell to the ground with a _plop_ next to Reina. Hiamon smiled happily, knowing that everything was safe now.

In a moment's time, Naoki, Shun, Reina, Takumi, Yuka, and of course, Ryota were walking in a group, happily engaged in chats of the events before. The dangers were gone, the digital humans were not hurt, and they tried their best to squeeze the thought of the many deaths out of their heads.

"Finally, we can get back on our goal," laughed Takumi, as they circled the destroyed school once again. "It's a lucky thing that you ran out of energy, Ryota, or we would have been out of luck."  
"And I would have been killed," said Reina, but spoke of this lightly. The thought that Ryota was back to normal was reassuring enough.

"But I don't _feel_ tired," spoke Ryota, staring down at his shoes.

"Hmm," nodded Naoki. "But you must find a way of controlling your power. With you traveling around with us, I'm not sure I feel safe."

"But please, no more interruptions," said Yuka Hamada, laughing. "I say we get out of here, quick - before somebody comes and finds us."  
"Right," agreed Naoki, little realizing that he would be leaving the school and everything behind sooner than he thought. "UGH!"

Takumi's eyes flickered, that was a strange sound. He tried to glance around to Naoki to see what was the matter, when . . . "UGH!" he too uttered the sound. A pair of strong, cold hands held him up by the stomach. "Let go!" he shouted, and heard similar demands of freedom from his friends - they must have been captured too. The boy struggled to get free, he kicked, he shouted, but it was no use, his captor was strong and muscular. "Let me - go!" A kick to the knee. At this, his captor stumbled and almost fell, but when recovered seized Takumi's throat and squeezed it. "UGH!" He remembered suffering similar pain just thirty minutes ago . . .

Then came a voice, a man's voice:

"Heh heh, that one ought to shut him up, Quiz. Stone, don't be afraid to choke these children if they squirm about. They don't deserve to fight. After all, what do they have to struggle for, and why are they struggling? They've never _had_ to fight before in their lives. Come now, let us go to the base . . ."  
Takumi's eyes widened in the grasp of his captor. He was being choked by a member of the Shadow Gang - Quiz! And Shadow was the one who had just spoken! And they were going to the base! The Shadow Gang! The ones who had caused all this pain!  
"Let me go!" the boy repeated once again, his eyes filled with rage, but it was no use, his captor was far too strong. Then . . . _BANG._ Something large hit his forehead. For minutes, he was in sleep . . . sleep . . .

When he awoke, he heard the crunching of leaves. Only a few minutes had passed, but his was considerably darker. Then he realized where the darkness came from - shade. He was somewhere, somewhere with shade - a forest. Once he had fully regained consciousness, he learned the exact forest - the woods near the school. He had explored underneath the canopy just a few days ago, searching for the elusive fox Digimon. Pine needles, leaves, and pine cones crunched under the Shadow Gang's feet as they approached a tree . . . a huge tree . . . one that Takumi had seen before on his adventure in the forest. The tree that was wide enough for a group of people to enter.

"Let go!" he pleaded again, and this time his attempts were rewarded with escape . . . but not a very good one. After falling out of the arms of his captor (who, Takumi noticed, was wearing all black), he landed, head-first, onto a hard rock . . . a huge rock. There was a deep, throbbing pain in his mouth, he spat up blood, before finding out what the rock really was . . . a gravestone. On it was carved:  
  
KISHO STONE

"The strongest warrior is the healer"

To a great man, and a great doctor 

1953 - 1980

"1980 . . ." muttered Takumi, his lip covered stained with blood, "that's the same year that my dad died . . ." His head fell back once again as the leader of the Shadow Gang entered the tree through a secret door, the rest of the gang members, and their children captives. As soon as the last member entered, which was the one that held him in his arms, Takumi felt himself falling . . . falling . . .

_Next time on Digimon Genesis!_

This is it! The chapter that finally reveals the Shadow Gang! After weeks of searching, days of long battles and mysteries, the answers are finally here. Almost everything strange and mysterious explained in this long-awaited chapter:  


NO LONGER A SHADOW

And if you think that's the end of Digimon Genesis . . . wait 'till you see what's coming next!

Well, that was it. Characters died, the school was destroyed, an ultimate has been reached, the Shadow Gang have finally shown themselves (and yet we still have no idea who we are). I'm hoping that you won't kill me over not revealing them in this chapter (though I'm sure you'll kill me for who they _are_ once you find out next chapter). But most of all, I'm hoping that you'll review. _Please _drop me your thoughts by just clicking on that review button! It really helps and makes writing long, tedious chapters worth it! 


	23. No Longer a Shadow

DISCLAIMER: Ah, for the times when I could think of witty disclaimers . . . *FLASHBACK!* DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon. Digimon is owned by Toei, Bandai, Akiyoshi Hongo, and other various companies and persons which needn't be listed here. Oh yeah, I also don't own any pinball machines. I'd like one, though . . . *END FLASHBACK* Wait a minute, that wasn't witty . . . that was incredibly stupid. Forget that ever happened. Heh heh.

EDIT 4/22/03: added information on man in black in Chapter 19, Mes's boss, and his job

Previously on Digimon Genesis . . . Ryota evolved to the ultimate-level Hypothermon. After destroying the school and killing some people in a huge battle with the other digital humans, the Shadow Gang seized the digital humans and dragged them to their hideout in a huge tree! 

****

DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER XXIII 

NO LONGER A SHADOW

Where Takumi landed after his gigantic fall, he didn't know, though it felt something like fifty feet. Turning over to inspect how far he actually fell, he saw a speck of light only six feet above his head. He sighed, trying to remember what had happened and how he had got there . . . then it came back to him. The Shadow Gang! They had captured him and his friends and had forced them into their secret hideout. Then, he thought weakly as he surveyed the dark hallway around him, he was in the lair of the Shadow Gang - the ones who were the roots of all this trouble.

Suddenly, he felt himself being dragged over the damp floor by the collar of his shirt. He tried desperately to fight back, but struggling was useless, as he was extremely tired after being involved in a battle with an ultimate level Digimon and getting knocked out. His attempts futile, he decided to just enjoy the slow and painful ride to who knows where. Seconds later he and his captor had entered a dark room, though it was considerably lighter than the other one. As Takumi slowly regained consciousness, he took in his surroundings with absorbing interest. Candles flickered in the hardly-lit hallway, which had been dug completely out from the dirt. Whoever possessed this artistic skill must had been very passionate with it - the tunnel looked as though it had taken at least twenty years to dig out. Then, a voice that blended in completely with the darkness spoke:  
"Oh good, you have the other boy, Quiz."  
Takumi felt a slight lurch in his stomach as he was dropped to the ground by his captor, Quiz. Blurry-eyed, he could see his five friends, who also looked ill from the long trip to the base. A couple of them groaned tiredly, some ached furiously and rolled around on the damp floor. The brown-haired boy Takumi, who deathly wanted to go to sleep, could not help but look around him. In the middle of the circular room was a round table, where the four figures - the Shadow Gang - sat. Their shapes were covered by the shadows, their faces cloaked in darkness. On the walls hung many shelves, filled with - Takumi's eyes widened. Hundreds and hundreds of potions, lining the shelves. Green, bubbling, bouncing in their glasses, they gave the area around the Shadow Gang an eerie glow. The boy closed his eyes, wondering what Digimon data they contained.

The leader, Shadow, spoke. "Look at them," he said, smiling sickly over the tired, frightened looks on their half-conscious faces. "Sleeping around like cats in the sun. Ah, sleep . . . the only escape man has from the evils of life . . ." There was the sound of a chair scraping against the dusty dirt floor. What felt like moments later, a kick in the stomach, sending Takumi over on his back. Opening his eyes, he stared into the face of the leader of the mysterious group. 

Coughing in pain, Takumi found that the man had long, blonde hair, with small, blue eyes. On his forehead rested a long scar. His pointed nose seemed too small for his long, sinister face. Takumi remembered faintly, seeing him before. But where? He wasn't a teacher, a neighbor, and he couldn't be a relative.

One-by-one, Shadow awakened the other digital humans using his special kick-rollover method. 

"Wakey wakey, little runts," sang the leader, kicking over the last digital human, Naoki Reda. "You've been very naughty little children. I expect better . . . naughty children will be punished. You must learn. Children who do not learn will fail. And failures will die." Violently, he pulled Takumi up, then proceeded with the rest - Ryota, Naoki, Yuka, and Reina. The boy found it hard to stand without the support of Shadow, whose scarred hands gripped his wrist tightly. A groan of pain from Reina, who without the support of the Shadow Gang leader, fell to the floor, landing on the ground with a loud _THUD._ Feeling helpless, Takumi cried desperately for her, but it was too soft to hear.

Angrily, Shadow summoned his companion. "Quiz - come over here, Quiz. Help the _mistake_ up." The member did so, helping the girl to her feet and dusting off her torn clothes. "Should just kill her here and now," growled the leader. "If it weren't for Stone, you'd still be dead, you mistake." He grabbed Reina's arms violently and jerked her into the round table.

"Don't do that," Takumi said, but the words were too quiet. Though apparently, Shadow heard. Madly, he surveyed the boy head to foot, then muttered something along the lines of, "Be quiet, you imposter. Traitor. Pretending to be one of us, huh?" he inquired, stepping around him. "Abusing our potions and turning stupid little girls into Digimon. I should kill you too, then you'd die with your stupid little girlfriend. After killing you both with my handy dandy _knife _-" he retrieved the sharp weapon from his pocket, "I'd chop both of your bodies into tiny little pieces, mix the pieces up together, then feed them to an invading Digimon. You're such a courageous little boy - when I was your age, I didn't have the courage to _talk_ to them. You've got a pretty free reign, haven't you?" The leader let out a cold cackle, one that made Takumi's skin crawl. "Though -" the man paused suddenly, "you're not the only one to blame. There's Stone, making a fool of himself, as usual."

At the table, engulfed in darkness, Stone sighed, "I admit, it was my fault." His eyes filled with sadness at all of the digital humans. "It's all my fault. I could have hurt a lot of people -" Sadly, he continued: "I think I already did."  
"Shut up, Stone," Shadow snapped. "I don't want your apologies. Just because someone says 'I'm sorry' things are better? Yeah, right. I wish every time you uttered something stupid, Stone, one part of your body would disappear. If you quote from a famous person, your arm would be chopped off. If you say something encouraging, then off with your foot!" After cackling a bit, the sick man continued: "The only reason that you're still here, Stone, is because I don't want to be guilty for murder." His opponent was about to say something as a counter, but Shadow snapped: "And don't you say anything, now! Cowardly, cowardly Stone. His friends risks their lives, he rests in the shade, then pretends to feel sorry. He stumbles on our little gang, and he cowers his way out of death."  
Ryota, now feeling more conscious, stepped forward. "Just who _are_ you guys, anyway?"

Stone and the rest of the Shadow Gang eyed the digital humans. In the midst of the argument, they had almost forgotten their presence. 

Now it was Takumi's turn to talk. Eyeing Shadow with hatred, he shouted: "How can you say that you aren't guilty of murder? Look at what you've done to us! All of the things that have happened in the past few weeks are because of _you_!" The leader of the gang was about to say something, but Takumi kept on: "If you're not a coward yourself, you'll come out of the darkness and tell us _who you guys really are!_"

Shadow shrugged. "Alright then. You win. It's no big deal, anyway. Well, not anymore, it isn't." Stepping into the light, the now fully conscious digital humans waited impatiently as Shadow revealed himself . . .

Smiling wickedly, the man spoke, "My name is Tekkan Shintaro."  
"Where have I seen you before?" asked Takumi, squinting his eyes. "I know I've seen you at least once . . ." 

Shrugging, Shadow breathed: "There's nothing more to me than my name. Where you've seen me before doesn't really matter, now does it?"  
Next came Quiz. Into the light he came. Wearing all black, he brushed back his red hair and bowed to the little group before him. "Shadow does not go to the public. Not anymore, anyway. But I'm sure you know me. Here's a hint - I'm sure you see me just about every evening."

Naoki raised a small finger at the red-haired man. "You're Ryan Royama! The newsman! But - but - that doesn't make any sense . . ."

Shouting, Ryota also pointed at the newscaster. "You! You bring such crappy television into our home every night! The ONN! I knew that a newscast that crappy could only be run by one of the members of the Shadow Gang!"

"Crappy?" smiled Royama, bowing again. "Why, I help you. I help everyone. With me, _no one_ gets the news first, fast, or easy. The public needs to be assured that these monster attacks lately have been nothing. And I'm giving it to them. I'm an important man in the lives of all the people of Yokohama."

Takumi felt murderous, shocked, and - confused. How could the man who he had seen on his television almost every night, on the newscast that his own mother refused to watch, be a member of the Shadow Gang? But the astonishment of the newscaster as Quiz was nothing compared to the rage that the identity of Search, the only female of the group, would cause.

Her head held high and her blonde hair tied back in a pony-tail behind her, the woman stepped into the light and smiled at the six children. On seeing the lady, Shun almost had a heart attack:  
"Y-you!" he stammered, pointing a large finger furiously at Diana Watari. "You're the counselor at the juvenile hall! Y-you helped me! But - but how?"

"Each member of our little group has their role," she replied simply, "mine is to work at the juvenile hall. Besides being able to do something I love - counseling - I am also able to work with what may be good candidates for children that we may be able to transform into Digimon." Quietly, she went to stand near Shadow, who gritted his teeth as the last member of the Shadow Gang - Stone - revealed himself.

Slowly, the man stepped closer into the light, tiny step after tiny step . . .

"Move faster!" Shadow ordered, frowning at the last member. "You know, we do have our little team selected already, Stone. Shall you choose to do something mildly stupid, we will see it that you are killed."  
Though to Takumi this seemed like an empty threat, the man quickened his pace. As he came closer into view, the boy realized that his head was down, he was breathing slowly. "I'm tired," he said to the leader, "of these stupid codenames. I want to go by my real name now, and I encourage the rest of you to do the same." Now in the light, his body was revealed - as he looked up at the anxious children, Takumi could clearly see his face, and upon seeing it, he gasped.

"No," he muttered, the man putting his head down again. "No - it just can't be - can't be! No!" Stone looked into Takumi's eyes and nodded his head sadly. "You can't be!" Takumi continued, pointing. "You're - Flint Shale!"

"That counselor!" Ryota shouted. "I can't believe it. Pretending to be every kid's friend, when you're actually a member of the Shadow Gang!"

"I was wondering why your counseling failed on Miho," Shun said, crossing his arms, angrily looking at the schoolteacher.

Shale tried to find his voice. "Listen - please - all of you -" as he faced many other pointed accusations, "please - I won't deny that I'm a member of the Shadow Gang. But I don't 'pretend' to be a student's friend. I love working with kids, as Diana does." He was returned with a sympathetic sigh from Search. "I didn't do it just for this group. If I had it my way, this gang wouldn't exist -"  
"Yes," replied Shadow menacingly, "but it was from your own cowardice that you allowed it to exist. You were faced with two options - death or a permanent role in this little play. Unfortunately, you chose the latter. Before you go blaming _me,_ Stone, you should try blaming yourself."  
Takumi did not agree with Shadow's argument, but he did not feel sympathetic for either of them. His chest was burning with fury. Why, after all this time, had Shale not helped him? If he had told him earlier that he was part of the Shadow Gang, things in the past few weeks would have gone much smoother. He felt as though he was about to cry: It was as though he had been betrayed by a very close friend. And it was.

The shattered counselor tried to persist his argument, but in vain. Looking at the angry children before him, he continued sadly: "And my real name's not even Flint Shale. Unlike the rest of our gang, my 'codename' is actually my real first - and last - name. Kisho Stone."

"Kisho Stone?" Takumi shouted, his heart still throbbing violently, "Kisho Stone! The man on the grave!"  
Nodding, the man continued, "They all thought that I was dead. Around the time of my 'death' I was on a mission in Africa with your father, Kairu Hito. We were very good friends, and continued to work on the same projects throughout our - sadly - short adulthoods."

Shadow went into the center. " 'Our' sadly short adulthoods?" the leader interrupted. "You mean _Kairu's _sadly short adulthood. _You_ went the coward's way out of death." Turning to Takumi, he continued: "Kairu Hito was courageous - incredibly foolish, but courageous."  
The boy narrowed his eyes at Shadow. "I won't allow you to insult my dad!"

"Ooh," said Shintaro at this empty threat, "I'm so very scared of what an eleven year old ("Twelve!" "Whatever . . .") can do!" Turning serious, he smiled at the boy and said: "You know, we actually have a lot in common, Hito. We never knew our fathers. And - I hope this is a good enough compliment for the likes of you - the only difference is that my father was an idiot, while yours was brave."

"Returning to _my_ story," said Kisho Stone, Shintaro stepped back while Watari comforted him, "It was late 1979. An Ebola outbreak had just occurred in some part of Sudan, I can't remember which . . ." Then, sighing, he added, "Though it seems like just yesterday that I was on the helicopter to treat the deadly virus, laughing with my friends: Henri Enomoto, Perry Akiyama, Yuuta Saga, and of course, your father." He eyed Takumi.

"When I first got a look at some of the infected inhabitants, I was horrified. Never in my life had I encountered such a vicious virus. The people there were ready to die . . . one even asked me to kill him . . . they were all ready to die then, than have to endure the pain . . ." He shivered at the thought.

"Henri Enomoto, one of the oldest doctors on this side of Japan, experimented with drugs. One of them was called _animus puerilis_. You see, since Ebola was so painful to it's victims, we decided to use this new drug on the ones infected. Animus puerilis, or AP for short, dramatically reduced pain or anger. We used it on the victims - while we didn't hear much of the screaming anymore, it didn't do much else. We were unable to find a cure for it . . ."  
"And then my dad died," muttered Takumi.

Stone looked thoughtful. Taking in a deep sigh, he replied: "No, Takumi. He did not die." Then, seeing the boy's confused expression, he added shortly, "Well, at least not from Ebola . . ."

Surprised, Takumi asked, "Then what? What did he die from?"  
Stone found this hard to answer. Taking another deep breath, he answered: "Well, Takumi - I have no actual evidence that he - or the rest of his friends that are considered dead - actually died."

For Takumi, it was like Christmas had come early. "What?" he asked happily, trying hard to conceal his childish grin, "You mean - my dad - could be alive?"  
The counselor looked down at his shoes, trying to find the words. Then, looking up at the boy, he said, "Maybe. But - I'm getting to that . . ." He shuffled his feet uncomfortably and took a seat opposite the children. Cupping his hands, he tried his best to smile at them as he continued with his story:  
"Daunted by the Ebola virus and it's effects, we spent the night at a native's house. I remember that night. When I was a boy, I always pictured Africa as always being hot and buggy, even during the evening. But as I lay down to sleep in that uncomfortable bed in the same room as my friends, the night was unusually cold. I had a hard time going to sleep. After I finally did, I was rudely awakened by . . . a roar . . ." He shivered, as though the night about ten years ago had been yesterday. "The roar of a beast. The owner of the house took his gun and went outside. Tiredly, we quickly followed. We gasped. In front of us was something that resembled a huge, blue dinosaur! What scared us the most was it's three heads - one on his neck, the other two on his arms. All of us were scared out of our wits and tried to make a run back to the house, but it was as though are feet were rooted in the ground. We could not move. We could only stare at the blue dinosaur's three menacing heads. The two other heads were a snake head, and a skull head. The snake head protruded from the body and opened it's mouth, it's ugly red tongue out, hissing with fury. Luckily for us, the native fired his gun. It hit the dinosaur on the shoulder. We gasped when we realized that the bullet had done nothing! However, the dinosaur turned around and entered some sort of vortex . . . some sort of _gate_ . . . and then he disappeared . . ."

"Us doctors and the native didn't know what happened. Shocked (and tired), we went back to bed, but I couldn't go back to sleep . . . and no one else could. We agreed in the morning to go back and explore that gate."

Shun's eyes widened. "A vortex! A gate! That must mean that that dinosaur that you saw must have been a Digimon!" Stone nodded, happy at Shun's deduction. "And if that dinosaur went into that vortex, that must mean it probably came from the vortex too, and that means -"  
The eighth-grader's next few words were obvious ones:  
"That there's a whole other dimension out there, full of Digimon!"

Tekkan Shintaro folded his arms and rolled his eyes. "Well, that doesn't take a genius, does it?" to which Stone narrowed his eyes and continued:  
"The next day, we explored the gate as planned. When we had gathered up enough courage, we all tried to go through. But for some reason, it wouldn't permit us. Disappointed, we returned to our work on the Ebola project. When we returned to the gate again, it was gone."  
Takumi frowned. "Then - how did my dad die?"  
"I'm getting to that," Stone nodded. "Anyway, swarms of doctors arrived on the scene, helping out with the virus. The Ebola project was abandoned. But the project of the vortex returned to us. The dimensional gate reappeared in the same place it had days before. We promised not to breath a word of the gate to anyone. But it wasn't any use. We still couldn't go through. But luck - or rather, bad luck - found us." He sighed. "If only we hadn't thought . . ." After rubbing his eyes, and taking another deep breath, he continued: "On a whim, Henri Enomoto suggested that we use animus puerilis to get through the gate. Even though we all thought it was silly, we jumped into the dimensional gate - and _reappeared on the other side_."

At these words, the children broke into loud chatter. Yuka, who had been especially quiet, her voice filled with wonder, asked dreamily, "What was it like there? Was it beautiful?"  
"Was it like Earth?" added Shun.

"Were there humans?" asked Ryota.

"Anything besides Digimon?"  
"Was it like outer space?"  
"How did it feel?"  
Stone gave a rare smile and raised two hands for silence. "Quiet, now, quiet. One at a time, please. It _was_ like Earth, Shun - though I think it's time of day might be warped from ours. We entered the gate during the day, but the Digital World was night - and had lots of stars in the sky. It was not like outer space at all - a very normal dimension. I did not see any humans, nor Digimon. After all, the rest of the group and I only stayed for five minutes."  
Ryota raised an eyebrow, Shintaro rolled his eyes and shook his head sadly.

"Why five minutes?" asked Shun. "I would have stayed for a year!"  
Stone bit his lip. "You must understand - at the time, we were very much afraid - and yet equally interested - in this new dimension. We were most afraid of the vortex back to our own world disappearing. Plus, we had no supplies, and we knew that monsters must had been there _somewhere._ So we went back to our world, where we retrieved our supplies. And then -" He gave a deep sigh and it almost seemed as though he could not continue.

Ms. Watari stood up. "Come on, Kisho! Please keep going." 

Shintaro frowned. "Diana, you've heard this story a million times. How can you possibly want to hear it some more?"  
The female counselor smiled brightly, but it quickly turned into a sad frown. "It's just a wonderful story - and so very sad at the same time." Shintaro snorted.

Looking up at Takumi, Stone began: "This is where you dad's death occurs. Or at least, what I think his death was." The boy looked down as the guidance counselor continued his tale: "Perry Akiyama proposed for a week-long trip in the Digital World. We all agreed - except for me." He stared at his small brown shoes, as Tekkan Shintaro stood up and smirked.

"Stone's first act of cowardice, of course," he said unsympathetically. "And very unfortunate too - it would have been one less bug to worry about in this ugly world." The other Shadow Gang members, as well as the children, stared, but Stone continued with his story, unscathed.

"I insisted that we tell the news of another world to more people and get experts to go in." Stone shook his head. "But your father, Takumi, was never one to delay an adventure. He went on into the gate with the supplies with the rest of his friends. We waved good-bye, promising that we would meet again. But we didn't. At least not yet." Turning to Takumi and sighing, he ended: "And that was the last I ever saw of him."

Takumi swallowed after hearing the bitter story and stared at his knees, thinking of his father. Could he possibly be in the Digital World now? If only he knew for sure . . . wouldn't it be a pleasant surprise to find him, then bring him home . . . to his family . . . and then it occurred to him . . .

"Why did my mom lie about that?" he asked his former counselor quietly.

"Lied? About what?" he inquired curiously.

"My mom. She said that he had died from the Ebola virus. If she had told me earlier that she didn't know, then . . ."  
"Then what?" was the reply. "You would have gained nothing more than knowledge - knowledge of uncertainty. Takumi, what is more reassuring - that he _could_ be alive in a world of savage beasts, and you are powerless to find him, or that he is dead and died from a virus while helping victims in Africa?"

Takumi didn't answer.

"Takumi, I knew your mom in high school. I know your mother now, under the alias of Flint Shale. She loves you. Did you take my advice, in the guidance office, Takumi? All you have to do is talk. Get to know each other better."

The boy still chose not to answer and only asked another question - "What happened to you after that?"  
Stone closed his eyes - the memory was obviously a painful one. "I waited. For a week. Then for another week. At this point I became very worried. Once or twice I even considered going into the gate myself, to see if I could find any signs if they were ever alive. Then a month passed. Then two months. An eternity seemed to pass before the two months became six months. When I went down by the gate one morning, I felt a certain lurch in my heart. The vortex had disappeared. And so had your father, and his three friends."  
"There was nothing left to do. I packed my bags and got a plane back to Japan. My original plan was to tell your mother, and the families of the rest of my friends about the gate. Just as I was on the road to your house one day, it occurred to me that a gate to another world would be huge - a landmark in the world's history, even. Imagine if I had told everyone! A war could break out between the worlds. So, I decided to keep it a secret. If my friends turned up, they would probably contact me immediately. When I was watching the evening news (with Ryan Royama reporting, of course [Quiz grinned]) it turned out that my friends and I had been reported dead from the Ebola virus! I was mystified. I was about to call the news station when I realized that if I turned up, people would ask where the rest of my friends were. My life had already changed greatly from the finding of the gate. I decided to change the name even more." He sighed deeply, as though he had made a grave mistake. "I took up the name Flint Shale, from two types of rock."

Takumi sat up, pointing excitedly. "'Flint' and 'Shale'," he exclaimed, smacking himself on the forehead. "I should have known! We studied rocks in science class. No wonder I made an F on that test . . ." I "bought" my own house after it's owner "died". I had to break laws, steal money, beg on the streets, eat at McDonald's. I should have realized by then that it wasn't worth it. But I went on for about a year. And then . . . I found another Digimon."  
Shintaro shined his shoe, then turned to Stone. "This is where _we_ come in," he said quietly.

"This Digimon was very different from the last one," continued Stone, turning to Shun. "A steel body. Vacuum-like arms. One eye. Looking quite like a robot." Shun, understanding, opened his mouth in interest.

"Mekanorimon. The 'robot thing' looked as though it was about to attack me, but just then the three members of the Shadow Gang arrived on scene. Before I could blink, the creature was stripped of it's data and disappeared before my eyes."

Diana Watari stood up, holding something that resembled an iron. "A Deleter. If you turn it on, it can suck up a digital creature's data. We deposit the data and mix them into potions to create the ones you see here." She gestured towards the shelf. "The data is distributed throughout the body, where it swims around quietly, undisturbed. When the specimen carrying the data becomes angry or disturbed, the brain sends tiny waves to the data and it becomes active, consuming all human skin, cells, and muscle and recreating it with that of a digital monster's. The brain is also effected and becomes similar to the mind of a beast, sometimes making the specimen do things unintentionally. Without proper control, the body will become unstable and will cause the specimen to use all the energy it can by whatever means possible - attacking, running, jumping, et cetera. With the D-Monster -" she held up a small, navy blue colored device. Apparently she had many that were unused, "- you can control the monster form. The D-Monster itself is filled with animus puerilis. It is actually connected to your brain. When the 'Execute' button on the D-Monster is pressed, the device sends animus puerilis to the mind, cooling it down and allowing the Digimon form to be controlled."  
Embarrassed, she stared around at the wide-eyed children and grinned. 

Tekkan Shintaro beamed. "Diana's a very good inventor - but she's a very bad explainer." He ducked to dodge a playful jab in the ribs.

Stone continued sadly, "The Shadow Gang has other tools that they can use. Very sinister tools, too." The middle-aged man looked over to their leader, who rolled his eyes irritably. "It was by pure luck that I said the right thing before they used it. When I saw the monster being deleted, I shouted, 'That monster! It's from another world!'. Interested, the Shadow Gang led me over to their hideout, where I explained how I knew about them. I seemed very valuable to them. And I was." Shadow snorted, getting another look of disapproval from Stone. "So," he continued, "They took me under their wing. They also told me their mission - to colonize the Digital World - and to do that, they had to turn humans into Digimon so that they would defeat any wild ones - so they could make money off it."

Naoki narrowed his eyes in anger at the four members of the Shadow Gang. "So -" he shouted, sounding quite fierce for a boy his age. "That was your whole mission all along? You killed Digimon and destroyed our lives for a _money-making scheme_!?"

Sighing, Shintaro replied, "Not entirely -" but was cut off by Naoki's shouts.

"Don't you realize what you've done?" He pointed to the four. "You're all just greedy jerks! You don't even _care_ about us!"  
Stone tried his best to say, "Yes - we do -" but couldn't get his point across to the eight-year old boy.

"I take that back!" Naoki shouted. "You _do_ care about us! You care about us because without us, you can't use the Digital World to get your precious money!"  
With rapid, beast-like breath, Shintaro replied: "Alright. Fine. You win. We _don't_ care about you -" (he received a stern look from Stone) "- So, seeing as how you won't colonize the Digital World for us, we'll just have to kill you here and now!" Angrily, he drew a sharp knife from his jeans pocket.

Fearful, Naoki stepped back as the rest of the Shadow Gang gasped.

Smiling insanely, Shintaro gripped the knife in his hand and held it in a foreboding manner. Then, an idea formed in his head, the little boy stepped forward, undaunted and in front of the leader of the Shadow Gang.

"If you dare threaten me again," he said calmly, "then I'll give you a taste of your own medicine." He withdrew form his own pocket the transparent D-Monster digivice.

"You wouldn't," Shadow countered, not a tone of fear in his sinister voice, "because -" he grabbed from a nearby table what looked like a cross between an iron and a gun, "I'd strip you of your data."

Naoki stepped back again. He was beat, and there was nothing he could do about it . . .

Although Stone knew that Shintaro had made an empty threat, he stepped between the two of them and held up his hands wildly. "Stop! Control yourselves!" Then, peering down at Naoki, he said, "Forgive him. You don't even know his whole story."

Shintaro made a gesture with the knife, but the counselor avoided it. "Fine," the Shadow Gang leader said fiercely, "You, Stone - continue with your stupid little story. And hurry up. I've waited fifteen years for this . . ."

The counselor sat down calmly in his seat and continued, "After I gained their trust, the Shadow Gang asked me to do a job for them. I was to be a counselor at a school - middle school, preferably."

"Why middle school?" Takumi asked interestingly.

"Before we did children, we experimented with adults. But their anger levels became too high for us. When we no longer had any control over them, they would cause chaos in the cities. Usually we would cover this up. But a brief mishap with a Mamemon in 1982 forced us to change our target age group. We next tried high school, and elementary school . . . but high school students were also too powerful - elementary students too weak."

Naoki and Yuka looked down at their shoes. The latter, being very quiet, finally broke her long silence and asked, "You didn't try babies, did you?"  
For some reason, Shintaro rolled back in his chair to answer the question. "No. Babies would be able to control their powers very well - but they would be too weak. And plus, the idea of grabbing newborns from their cribs is -" he sighed heavily, "very sickening."

Naoki narrowed his eyes at Shintaro. "At least you have heart enough not to take babies away from their mothers." The leader appeared to want to strangle the youngest digital human, but made no attempt from lack of energy. Instead he closed his eyes and put his hands in his lap.

"You see, Yuka," explained Stone, "the very reason that we don't go in ourselves is that we couldn't control our powers - even if we did have D-Monsters on us." Then he went on with his story: "So, I repeated college - under my different name of course. It was very risky and I had to make up a lot of things. But it wasn't hard to do. It turns out that most of us were already criminal masterminds at the time." He made an awkward grin towards Shadow.

"In 1984 I completed college again and was able to become a counselor at East Yokohama Middle School. Employed by Mrs. Falle, of course. The good thing about her was she didn't ask too many questions, and I was free to do things my way. And my way was - to find children who would make good Digimon. Those that were not too angered by the world - it would be hard for them to control their powers. Those that, might be able to get along with us." He gazed into Takumi's direction. "But we never found perfect matches until you all came along."

"If you ask me, none of them are perfect for the job at all," Shadow said, with his eyes closed unable to see Stone's frown.

"Why did you choose us?" Takumi asked.

"Isn't that obvious? I chose you, Takumi, because you were the son of my best friend. You, Ryota -" His eyes turned to Shadow in sympathy and sighed. "You - would make a good friend of Takumi. And you had potential to make a powerful monster. So powerful that it destroyed half the school!" He laughed, but his laugh soon turned back to the frown it had once been. "You, Naoki - you were young - you would be able to control your powers. Not to mention you would make a good leader. We also wanted balance. So we also chose Shun and Miho. They both demonstrated very high power - and, in Miho's case, angst."

Takumi folded his arms. "You counseled both of them," he thought aloud. "You knew them . . ."  
Stone nodded. "Yes, I did. But I can't say I helped much. If I had known that the problem with Miho was because of her mother, then I may have been able to help her - and she would have been on the team right now."

"Not that we care," Shun said simply.

"What about me?" Yuka asked.

Stone peered at Naoki. "I didn't want Naoki to feel too young and uncomfortable for this mission. Probably the most difficult mission in the world . . . so I chose Yuka."  
"Oh, that doesn't matter," Shun laughed. "Naoki's more of a leader than all of us combined, anyway."

"Doesn't matter either way," Shadow snapped. "I say it's high time that we say to our selections if they don't like their position to _suck it_." 

Naoki, still angry from their previous quarrel, straightened up and said, "Gee, you sure don't care about anyone. You just pick people off the streets and force them to adjust to being separated from every normal human, then treating them badly. How can you justify your actions?"

Stone held up his arms and shook them wildly in the air. "That's _just_ what I was trying to explain to Shadow yesterday! We _can't _be picking children up the streets, it _is_ unjust!"

"You're no better off!" Naoki turned to the counselor and shouted, "If you had any courage at all, you wouldn't have allowed yourself to join this stupid gang! It would have been better if you had died along with your friends!"

Stone shrank back at these words, Shintaro smirked.

"While I agree completely with your analysis on Stone (the coward), I _can_ justify my actions. You're kids. You have the ability to become a strong, yet controllable digital monster. I am giving you power beyond your wildest dreams. Search kindly supplies you with D-Monsters which help you. We give you the chance to go to a world that some would die for. And yet, you continue to kick and scream like disgusting babies. In fact, children like you are just like babies. They whine, they cry, they demand attention, and they shit everywhere." Diana Watari had a hard time controlling her laughter at Tekkan's rude comparison. Naoki and the rest of the digital humans looked murderous, but Shadow continued carelessly, "They can't do any physical labor. Instead, the majority insist on playing with their dipshit friends, while making mediocre grades and crying." He grimaced at Naoki and Yuka. "Their minds cannot work the simplest of problems. They don't know what's good for them. Their thoughts and feelings are inferior."

Naoki, resembling a termite going against a lion, held up his fist heatedly and said, "You can't say that. Children are people too. Their thoughts aren't inferior. They may not always know what's good for them, but -" he pointed his index finger at Shadow, "at least their feelings are more significant than yours!"

Tekkan smirked, making Takumi want to punch him in his big, stupid face. "Is that so?" he replied casually. "Then tell me this, o holy third grader who knows all . . . then why aren't children allowed to vote? Why aren't they allowed to buy cigarettes, or alcoholic beverages?" He lit his own cigarette and took a puff. "Ever seen one of them television commercials?" he asked, exhaling a light cloud of smoke, making his face seem misty.

A bit embarrassed, Naoki replied, "My family - um - doesn't have a TV. They - um - don't - believe in it?"

Shadow laughed, a long, low laugh, then took another puff from his cigarette. "See what I mean?" he said, holding his hand out and sitting down on the table. "Parents won't even let him watch TV. Just more to support my cause." He folded his legs. "Anyway, if you had a TV -" (he sniggered) "then you would probably be familiar with the many, many products it tries to sell. Most of them require you to be 18 or older to call. 18 or older is considered to be an adult. If children know what's good for them, then why do they make such petty requirements?"

Naoki looked down at the rocky floor and didn't reply.

Shintaro sighed. "I think _I _was the only exception as a child. At first I didn't know what was good for me either, didn't respect my parents, and was a stupid idiot like yourselves. But when I acted like a jerk, thinking that I knew everything and holding my head up proudly, my dad would turn 'round and beat me. He didn't put up with such nonsense as _these_ poor parents do." He snorted. "In fact, my dad didn't put up with anything at all." As he was saying this, Takumi noticed that his tone changed greatly. Even though the insulting words about their parents had angered him, for some reason he felt rather lenient, even sorry, for the leader of the Shadow Gang who so uncaringly changed their lives for the worse.

Diana put her hand on Shintaro's shoulder in sympathy, but he rejected it. "My dad was . . . my dad was . . ." He was about to say something, and from his tone of voice, something bad, but he paused in the middle of his sentence and the insult didn't come. "I was born in a family that didn't tolerate failure. Especially my dad . . . he was always the best in school . . . making good grades all the time, straight A's . . . he was disappointed . . . very disappointed . . . when it turned out that his own child - me - couldn't even add one-digit numbers correctly."

"When I entered school, they noticed that I was unsocial and didn't care at all for my school assignments. I hardly ever talked, and when I did, I said things that were random and unusual. They took me to doctors, and they diagnosed it as mental retardation . . . but even I knew it wasn't mental retardation. But they wouldn't understand . . ."

"The doctors explained that my condition couldn't be reversed. But my father never trusted doctors. 'Quacks, all of them' he would say. He insisted that some old-fashioned discipline would put me into shape."  
"There was a little quiz on adding when I was in the first grade. I didn't answer any of the questions. My teacher (I hated that bitch so much) - said that I wasn't paying attention in class. I'll never forget the beating my father gave me - I still have the scars."

"Quiz after quiz - zero after zero - beating after beating. And arguments over me - arguments between my parents. My mother was always nice to me. She told me that I was no different than anyone else. But my father didn't see things like that. He told me that I _was_ different, and saying that I wasn't was bullshit. I eventually drove him into drinking."  
"Then one day my teacher visited our house. She sat at the kitchen table with my father and discussed my grades. She advised him to switch schools - to let me go to a special school. 'My son is not going to a school for dipshits!' he yelled. I remember that day very well -" He smirked. "He kicked her - almost literally - out of the house." But his grin soon became a sad frown. "Then I got a beating. Then a fight between my parents."  
"After a long battle with my mother, he would usually go out for a drive in his old, beat-up car. You know - to relieve stress. These little drives became more and more frequent. And then, one day early in May, he went out for a drive after telling my mother that he was not going to father a retarded child. This 'drive' took an hour. I wondered when he would return. But he didn't. The hour turned into hours. And then it was evening. My mother was worried - even though they often quarreled, she loved him very much. When he didn't return that night, she called the police. They didn't find him that night. They didn't find him ever. He never returned to our house."  
"What happened to him?" asked Shun curiously.

Shadow shrugged. "Dunno . . . hopefully, he drove his car over a bridge and drowned." He sighed, as though he didn't mean his words. "And so, for the next seven years, I lived with my mother. She was very loving, caring - always helped me get by and not feel different. But when I was fourteen, my life changed forever . . ."

"I was coming home from school one day, when I found a bunch of police cars surrounding my home. Worried, I asked, best I could, what had happened. One policeman took me by the shoulder - and said - he said that my mother had been - attacked. Shot in the chest. I visited her at the hospital. But by then it was too late. She was dead." He swallowed what seemed like a hard lump in his throat. "I had no close relations able to take me. So, I was sent to an orphanage in this town. I hated that place, I hated it's master. But I found two friends there who helped me . . ."

Ryan Royama and Diana Watari grinned as they came into the story.

"Ryan and Diana, of course," he said, holding out a hand to point at them. "Ryan was only six years old when I came. Diana was a year older than I. But all of us attained a very close friendship - and we all hated the orphanage."

Search looked up at the rocky ceiling of the tunnel, which was rather sturdy. "My parents had both died in a car crash when I was very young. Hardly knew them, though." Cautiously, she placed an arm on Shadow's shoulder, but he didn't deny it this time.

Royama, hardly as talkative as his television self added softly, "My parents were too young to take responsibility for a child. They put me up for adoption and eventually I landed up in that orphanage."

Shadow readjusted his seat and continued, "Anyway, we tried many times to escape from that awful place." His eyes met Shun's. "In just about the same way as you escaped from that juvenile hall." He exchanged glances with Search. "Many times our attempts were failures, and the people there treated us harsher for it. But on the sixth try we escaped and ended up in a forest - where we found our first Digimon - but we didn't know it at the time. Upon seeing us, it walked slowly backward into a portal. We ran back to the orphanage and shared our adventure with the other children, but no one believed us. So it was us three, all alone. When Diana was eighteen, she was able to leave the orphanage. I followed a year later. And eight years after that, Ryan was released as well. By then, Diana and I had seen many more Digimon and had developed many new items that we could use to find these Digimon. Our mission began. After many, many, many unsuccessful transformations, Stone joined our group and this year we found you six dunderheads."

Takumi lay down on the hard tunnel wall and thought for a moment. All those years of work . . . all those people . . . all the Digimon . . . surely, _someone_ must have seen _something_! He told his thoughts to the Shadow Gang.

Diana laughed. "The Deleter and the D-Monster are not the only items that we use." She fumbled around for something in her pocket and seconds later withdrew something that resembled a grenade. "A Stun Potion." She stood up and lifted a Digimon potion from the shelf.

"I saw that when you guys came over to my house yesterday!" Ryota pointed at Stone and Shintaro.

Shadow nodded, grinning in amusement. "Yes - it's a pretty valuable weapon."

"How is it a weapon?"  
"Allow me to demonstrate," Diana said, pulling a cap off the Stun Potion and placing the bottle near the Digimon potion. She squeezed it tightly and from it came a white mist. After screwing a lid on the Digimon potion, she held it for everyone to see. Inside of it was the mist - getting denser by the minute.

"That's great," shrugged Ryota. "But what does it _do_?"

Stone stepped in and answered, "Remember a few minutes ago when I told you that I was afraid that the Shadow Gang would use 'weapons' on me if I hadn't told them that I knew about the Digimon? This is one of them. It not only stuns people - but it erases some of their memory -" Then, upon seeing their shocked looks, he quickly added, "Of course, only the past few minutes of the memory. What is left is very blurry - which is why we constantly had to use the Stun Potion on you all."  
Ryota nodded. "So that's why we thought they were dreams at first. They were fogged memories."

"Exactly," said Stone.

"And -" Reina asked, "I suppose that you use Stun Potions on anyone who sees a Digimon?"  
"That is correct," replied Royama, who peered down at his sleeve.

"But of course," said Watari, "you're probably wondering how we were able to find these Digimon in the first place. Another invention!" Happy with herself, she pulled out something that looked like a D-Monster - but wasn't - from her white coat pocket. She again held it up so everyone could see.

"This is a D-Pendulum," she explained, showing them the black device. "As you can see, it's something like an advanced version of the D-Monster. New features include the ability to control powers of an ultimate-level Digimon, an advanced communication system, and a more detailed map." She dug her hand into a blue box of hers and withdrew five more D-Pendulums. "D-Pendulums for everyone!" she said happily. She handed Ryota the black one, Takumi a green one, Naoki a light blue one, Shun a gray one, Yuka a white one, and Reina a dark blue D-Pendulum.

"Finally," Reina laughed, "I can control my powers!"  
Diana turned around. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot!" Holding her hands out, she asked excitedly, "Where is Miho's D-Monster?"  
Surprised, the girl withdrew Miho's old yellow D-Monster, the one that once held the powers of Jikimon. Now, both Miho and her monster form were no more.   
"I can connect to the powers of Suraiimon and place it in the D-Monster!" Diana said cheerfully. She handed Reina something that looked like a bracelet, with a wire on the end that connected to a small machine, on which Diana Watari placed the device face-down. "Ready?" she asked, then, seconds later - "Go!" A burst of energy followed, and about a moment later the data transfer was complete. Reina, feeling dizzy, sat down on the floor near Takumi.

"You rest shouldn't worry," assured Watari, handing Reina the device which now held the powers of Suraiimon. "The power to evolve to your ultimate form has already been transferred."

Ryota fumbled around in his seat. "Then why didn't you just give me the D-Pendulum before? It would have been a lot easier than me trashing the school, crazy -"

Stone sighed. "I asked him not too. I asked him not to do it. But he insisted that we see if he could control his ultimate form without help from a D-Pendulum. It was . . ." He glanced in Shintaro's direction. "A very bad idea."

Tekkan Shintaro didn't answer and simply put his hands around the chair he was sitting in. "Yeah, yeah - so I killed a lot of people back there. Big deal!" He folded his legs and closed his eyes again.

Stone sighed; Takumi could see that they would never be friends. He tried his best to change the subject, he had so many questions that he needed to ask.

"So - what happened after you picked us?" he asked.

Tekkan opened his eyes again and yelled, "What's there to know? We've already told you what's been going on. The rest is history. And I might add, I hate history class. I want to get _on_ with this, now!"  
Stone shook his head. "No, Shadow. These children need to know what's been going on in their lives since about a month ago - when we all so rudely intruded on them."  
"Whatever," Shintaro said tiredly, rubbing his eyes and closing them once more. "I'll be asleep. Tired of all this talking."

Disapproving of his leader's ways, he sighed deeply, then turned to the digital humans. "As you all know now, Naoki was the first one chosen out of all of you to become a Digimon. We, the Shadow Gang, wanted to see what kind of powers he would display - not an adult with incredible powers, or a baby with virtually no powers - but in between. Naoki can control his powers very well - but the power level is not very high." He nodded towards the eight year-old.

"Hmm . . ." thought Takumi aloud, "so that's why he was able to control his powers, and eventually control us."

"Correct," said Stone. "You were next, Takumi, and shortly after, Ryota. But you're probably wondering how we were able to get into your homes without being discovered? Well, the truth is that no home is completely secure. Even if you lock all your doors and windows, there's still numerous ways to get in. Not that your average burglar would think of them. And sometimes, it _is _just as simple as opening a door or going through a window."  
"Hey!" Takumi realized, "I remember that day. The door to my house was unlocked so I could get in after school. Come to think of it, that door is almost _always_ unlocked."

"Yuka's window," said Ryota, thinking back to the day when they had 'robbed' Yuka's house. "It was unlocked. I remember because it was my job to open the window with my fangs."

"That is correct," Stone beamed.

"I went into my house," thought Takumi, "I plopped down on my bed, looking at pictures of my dad . . . and then . . . I went to sleep."

"And then we came," Royama continued. 

"And afterwards, I - I killed that boy, Hiroshi," the boy remembered bitterly.

"I was quite disgusted," continued Stone, "that you had killed that boy, Takumi. Luckily, the person we transformed the following night didn't kill anybody - well, at least, not until the next morning."

"That was the day that Naoki explained to us everything!" Ryota exclaimed.

"That's right," said Stone. "Naoki was chosen way earlier than you two. I shiver when I imagine that if he hadn't explained to you what was going on how many more murders we would have to cover up . . ."

Naoki smiled happily. "Yes - and then I performed an Amnesia Charm on each and every one of those kids. _I _would shiver what would happen to _us_ if they saw us transform out in public . . ."

Stone looked confused. Apparently he had not heard of any of that before.

Seeing his puzzled expression, Naoki said, "You know, an Amnesia Charm. It's one of my special techniques as Sorcerimon."  
Turning to Royama, Stone and the reporter both shook their heads. Luckily, Diana stepped in to help.

"A Stun Potion," was her explanation. "As I said before, they can erase a few minutes of a memory. _We_ used it on the people who witnessed the fight between Hiamon and Kibamon."

"Huh?" said Naoki. "But - I -"

Tekkan Shintaro, his eyes still closed, answered tiredly: "Sorcerimon's Amnesia Charms only erases a memory temporarily. Within a few days, the memory comes back, growing more and more distinct. But our Stun Potion deletes a memory forever. Poof. It's gone." He made an awkward wave of his hand.

"Then that means that we both used things to erase their memories."  
"Of course," said Royama, crossing his legs casually. "Stun Potions are the only way I get to sleep at night." He laughed at his own joke.

"That same night, we transformed both Miho and Shun into Digimon - Jikimon and Mekanorimon."  
"And the next day we fought her, and the day afterward we went back to school," interpreted Shun.

"Yes. And that was the day when -" But Naoki's concerned expression made his stop. "What's wrong, Naoki?" he asked.

The young boy bit his lip. "I've just been thinking . . . if you guys used the Stun Potion, and I used an Amnesia Charm, then . . ."  
"Then what?"  
"Would it be possible if their memory was - like - what if their memory got destroyed forever?"

Stone leaned back into his seat and stared up to Diana Watari, signaling her to answer the question.

"Well," Diana began, sitting down on a table and crossing her thin legs. "Not if we only combined them. You made their memory of the past few minutes temporarily gone. We made their memory of the past few minutes completely gone. But . . ." She suddenly began to look uncomfortable. "If you were to use too much Stun Potion on a person, then their memory would be . . ." She bit her lip. "Their memory would be completely gone. They would have no idea who they were, where they were, or what was happening. In fact, their brain wouldn't even function properly. They would forget how to speak, eat, drink, how to move . . . eventually, they would just die." Seeing their worried looks, she quickly added, "But I assure you, we are _very_ careful with the Stun Potions. _Very_ careful. Not once has anyone died from them." 

Naoki nodded, but he did not seem insured.

Seeing his unsatisfied look, Stone added, "We use Stun Potions a lot." Then, turning to Takumi, he asked, "Do you remember our first appointment? Right before I spoke with you, a Digimon accidentally crept into the school on that day, but fortunately for us, it was weak. A rookie level - Gizamon. A frog-like Digimon with razor-sharp fins on it's back."  
"But you were in your office!" Takumi exclaimed. "You wouldn't have _time_ to use the Deleter on it . . ."

Tekkan Shintaro opened his eyes and got to his feet. "No, Stone never has time to do anything. Ryan Royama is always hard at work as a reporter. And Diana is always spending time with those little punks at the juvenile hall. I probably have the hardest job of all, and I don't get paid."

"You're not even employed?"  
"I'm my own boss," replied Shintaro as though he had just been insulted. "Really ignorant of you, to think just because I'm not employed that I don't have my own job . . . who _else_ do you think uses the Deleter and uses Stun Potions on everyone? Me."  
Takumi rolled his tongue. He shivered at the thought of Shintaro controlling a Stun Potion . . .

"The Gizamon walked into Miss Andrews' classroom a little after you left for my office, Takumi," Stone explained. "So . . ."  
"You used Stun Potions on my whole class?"  
"Yes. The last few moments of their memory was taken."

Takumi had mixed feelings. In the wrong hands, Stun Potions could be extremely dangerous . . .

"And after that," Stone continued, "Mekanorimon attacked."  
"And you disappeared."  
"Right. I went off to see if I could grab his D-Monster and transform him back for myself . . ."  
"Foolish, stupid thing to do," Shintaro commented.

"But, of course, I failed. I left with a bad burn on my leg."

Shun looked guilty. "Ah . . . sorry."  
"That's alright." Stone held up a hand and flapped it as though it were nothing. "It's our fault, really. Luckily, Hiamon and Kibamon arrived and were able to defeat the 'robot'. I reported it as a 'robot' to Mrs. Falle myself." 

"Surprised at the power of Mekanorimon, I organized a Shadow Gang meeting. We agreed to not do children over the age of thirteen. So, we decided ("Or rather, _you _decided," Shintaro interrupted) that we needed to add another elementary school student to our list. Yuka was chosen that night to become Mikemon." 

Shun stood up and sighed. "This is where all my problems came here . . ."  
"Ironic, though, that the one who unintentionally got Shun in trouble ended up being his counselor at the juvenile hall. Diana, in posession of the D-Monsters, would usually place them in their new owner's pocket, or somewhere else where they would hopefully find it and learn how to work it. On this particular night, however, she made a mistake and layed it on Yuka's nightstand."  
"It wasn't a mistake," corrected Shintaro fiercely, "It was a huge, gaping screw-up. I've never seen something so incredibly stupid in my life."

Ms. Watari seemed to take this insult pretty well and laughed, "No it wasn't! Come on! Anyone can make a mistake!"  
The Shadow Gang leader sneered and sat down again next to Watari.

"But thanks to Naoki's D-Monster, he was able to detect that Yuka was a digital human as well. So, as I understand it, you all went to Yuka's house to pick it up and give it to her later. Unfortunately, something you hadn't counted on happened and Shun was arrested for breaking and entering."

"But you see, we had no idea. Under your information that your mother often worked late into the night, Takumi, we went to your house to pay you an evening visit, to see how well you were progressing in your powers. We opened an unlocked window and made our way inside. Unfortunately, your mother heard us creeping in. Worried, she went down the stairs and saw us. We were caught. But luckily we had Stun Potions with us. We used it on her."  
"_No!_"

"Yes. We didn't find you anywhere, Takumi. So we made a quiet exit and left your mother "sleeping" on the stairs."

"Was - was her memory alright?"  
"Of course it was. We only used a tiny bit on her, to stun her and make her forget our entrance. Nothing permanent."

The boy relaxed, but wondered what Mrs. Hito would say if he told her that a Stun Potion had been used on her. 

"When large groups of people see a Digimon, however, it is very hard to use Stun Potions on all of them. So we don't do it. It usually goes out to the public. Ryan here helps to cover things up a little."  
Royama wore a look that was the same as Naoki's. "But the government's not stupid. They've known for some time that monsters do exist - but they don't know that all cases of the supernatural are connected - they're Digimon. 'UFO' sightings. The Loch Ness monster. Big Foot (no doubt Mojyamon tribes). Fortunately for us they have no idea that the Digital World exists, though there have been suspicions of other dimensions."

"When the wild Suraiimon came from the Digital World and attacked at the school dance, the government passed it off as just an extremely dangerous fox. Everyone was worried."  
"I wonder if it's still out there," thought Takumi.

"Of course not," said Stone. "How do you think that you were able to give Reina the powers of that fox Digimon?"

"Huh? Then the one that attacked at the school dance is -"

"Dead. We called Animal Control, but -"  
"Animal Control?" laughed Shintaro, his eyes still closed. "God forbid! Bunch of incompetent bastards, if you ask me. I'd like to see them to go up against Suraiimon!"

Stone shook his head sadly. "Fortunately, that did not happen. I chased the fox all around the school, past a security camera. It's data made the electronic security camera go wild. I borrowed your bicycle, Takumi, then set off in hot pursuit of the fox. When I caught up with it, I used my Deleter and absorbed it's data, mixing it into a potion. When I realized that the bike was still with me, I went to return it and I accidentally left the potion on a food table in the gym . . ."  
"Another huge mistake," spat Shintaro. "Luckily, no one intelligent would be idiot enough to drink something that they had no idea what it was . . ." His dark eyes flashed towards an angry Reina.

"_You_ stole my bike?"  
Stone sighed. "I have no choice. Sometimes, in this job, you have to do things that aren't necessarily right . . ."

"Well, that's for sure," Ryota said, rolling his eyes.

"I went to my car and drove up to Takumi, who was walking home alone on the sidewalk," he continued. "He was looking for his bike. Of course, I 'helped' him find it. Then we took a stroll to the security cameras to see who did it. Of course, I knew they would be malfunctioning because of the presence of a Digimon."

Takumi was taking this hard. "You _lied_ to me," he breathed. "Why - why didn't you tell me that you were a member of the Shadow Gang? We could've talked when you were my counselor - you could have _helped_ me . . ."

"I did, Takumi. At least . . ." he said sadly, "I _tried_ to help you."  
The boy crossed his arms and stared at the dusty floor. How could have Stone did this? Mr. Shale, his former counselor, his _friend_ . . . how could he lie like that?  
Stone continued slowly, trying to get Takumi back on his side. "Mr. Akimoto was worried that the fox might strike again and didn't feel comfortable with an office near the gym - where a murder had taken place. I secretly agreed, though we switched offices. Before school that day, I asked Mr. Mes if he could get a 'drink' for me, and to put it on my desk. He was unaware of the office transfer. So he set it down on a desk near _Mr. Akimoto's_ office. Where you found it, Takumi."

He didn't look up.

"I was very worried about what had happened to that potion. I searched everywhere, running around the school for it. But I didn't find it. It didn't take long for me to discover what _had_ happened, however. So now, all of us Shadow Gang members were busy. I was looking for the potion while Diana was helping with the children at the juvenile hall. Ryan was working harder than ever, trying to cover up the Digimon incidents . . . and Tekkan . . ." He gave a rare smile. "Tekkan was supervising your house, Takumi. Shun had came there a few days before."  
"That's right!" shouted the surprised Shun, pointing at Miss Watari. "You saw me escape from the juvenile hall - well, at the time I thought you had only glanced and didn't pay attention to it, so I thought there was nothing going on. But you _did_ see me! And you sent Mr. Shintaro to supervise Takumi's house!"

"That makes sense," said Takumi.

"Yeah," sighed a tired Shintaro, ruffling his hair. "Made me busy, watching that damn house . . . every time that mother of yours almost found Shun in that stupid hiding place, a closet -" He rolled his eyes. "When your mother went up there the first time, I went in the house and slammed the door to catch her attention. The next day when she was about to open it, I rang the doorbell and pretended to be a salesman." He grinned. "Selling key chains." He held up a dark blue D-Monster.

"That's where I remember you from before!" pointed Takumi. "You're that salesman - long hair, named Tekkan Shintaro! I remember now!"

"Oh great, now I'm famous," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes again.

"You may not remember seeing _me,_" laughed Royama.

"Of course I have," pointed Takumi, "many times before, I've seen you on television ..."

"No, I'm talking about you actually meeting me," he corrected. "We had some idea what you were going to do the minute we found that you had the potion. After you used it on Reina, I was positioned at her house just to make sure that nothing bad happened. When you were looking for her house, I dressed up all in black and pointed you in the right direction."

"That's right!" exclaimed Takumi.

"Well," yawned Stone, "that's all, I guess. And here we are."

Takumi wasn't satisfied, though. There was something missing in all of this . . .

"Mr. Mes," he said.

"What _about_ Mr. Mes?"  
"Mes," said Shintaro, making him grab his long hair. "Mes! Where have I heard that name before?"  
"The janitor at East Yokohama Middle?"  
"No," he moaned irritably. "Somewhere else . . . ah well . . ."

Turning to Takumi, Kisho Stone asked again, "What about Okii Mes?"

"Mr. Mes . . ." Takumi began. "He seems - or seemed - to hate me so much."

Stone gave another of his many sighs. "Takumi . . . I don't think I should be the one to tell you this. Perhaps, sometime, when you get back from the Digital World . . ." Then, looking at the other Shadow Gang members, "_If _you get back from the Digital World . . . you might ask your mother." He looked into Takumi's pleading eyes.

"Wait a minute. My mother? What does she have to do with all this?"  
Stone sighed. "Well, I guess you might as well. It's better to be certain now than to be curious forever. Your mother, Takumi, was - well, friends, with Mr. Mes."

"_Friends_? But . . ."  
"Let me back up a little. The year was 1963. Your father, your mother, Mr. Mes, and I were all juniors in high school." He smiled as though it were the best years of his life. "Kairu was very popular in high school. Always the attention of girls, great on the baseball field, having the highest grades . . ."   
"A _perfect_ person," interpreted Shintaro, who was lighting another cigarette. "Yes, you always have perfect people running around. You know the saying "No one's perfect?" Bullshit. That saying was made up by a perfect person. Too many perfect people. Bah!"

Stone sighed again, as though Shintaro was not listening very well. "He wasn't _perfect._ But never once did I see him misbehave . . ."  
"Perfect," Shintaro repeated, blowing smoke into the air. The smell was enough to make Takumi vomit.

"Anyway," continued Stone, ignoring his leader, "very nice. Attractive. Athletic. Making good grades . . ."  
"You've just said the four symptoms of being perfect," puffed Shintaro.

Ignoring Shintaro, Stone continued: "Airi Hito - well, Airi Etsuko was her name back then . . . was nice. Attractive. Not athletic, I don't think she ever bothered with sports. And . . . she was a teacher's pet."

Takumi imagined a younger version of his mother, smiling happily as she opened a math textbook, looking very similar to Yuuko Waterfield.

"One day, Airi's friend . . . I can't remember her name . . . Ryan would know it. Ryan?"  
"Jumi Jimbo," was the reply from the red-headed Ryan Royama. "Yeah," he said, looking at Takumi's stunned look. "She works with me now . . . what a ditz."

"Anyway," continued Stone, "there was a big test one day. Airi knew it all, of course. But her friend, Jimbo, didn't know anything. Naturally, she tried to cheat off of Airi and bombarded her with questions. Thinking that your mother was talking during class, the professor gave her a detention that day."  
"Ouch," was the only word that came from Takumi. "Not very fair."

"Ha!" shouted Shintaro. "We had education in the orphanage. I didn't have any friends, but of course I was the smartest one in the class - yes, Diana, I was better than you. People envied me, of course, so they tried to copy off my paper when we had a test. When they tried to get questions from me I would fold my test paper into a paper airplane and fly it _right_ into their eye! Remember that kid, Murdock? Yeah, I crammed that paper airplane right up his eye. It was bleeding hard and the poor bastard went blind, but from that day on people knew not to cheat off my paper. Man, I kick ass!"

This story, while amusing, Takumi wasn't quite sure if he believed it or not.

"Mes," continued Stone, "Mes always got detention. So it was strange when he saw Airi walk in. He started talking to her, and trying to get her attention. It seemed that it would never work out. But soon, Okii had changed her from a teacher's pet into a bad girl. They became more than just friends. She joined Mes's "gang". The gang was always up to no good, and made sure the rest of the school knew it. They were always vandalizing the school. Always breaking windows. Doing illegal drugs. Everyone knew that they robbed houses. But no one dared to confront them. There were even rumors that they murdered people . . ." Stone sighed. "Mes was, of course, the leader. He was also bitter rivals with Kairu. So, one night they decided to scare him by breaking a window in his house. Around midnight, the group threw a heavy rock at the Hito home's window. It awoke Kairu and his father. Your father, Takumi, knew who did it at once and set off after them. The only person he caught, however, was your mother."

Takumi looked speechless. "That's how they met? She never told me."

"I'm not surprised. She would probably be very embarrassed. But Kairu was able to knock some sense into her and transformed her back into that straight A student. Just in time, too, for the final exams. Afterwards, Mr. Mes hated your father harder than ever. He never got over it for him taking away his only girlfriend in life."

"So that's why," thought Takumi. "I - I never knew my mother was in a gang."  
"Don't bring it up," Stone advised. "It would be a painful memory to share."

"Right. But . . ." There was still a question that he needed to ask. A question that had drifted him far away from discovering the true identities of the Shadow Gang . . .

"He had a boss," he began, "I heard them speaking one morning after I grabbed Suraiimon's potion . . . I . . . I thought Mr. Mes was part of your group."  
Shadow snickered. "A _janitor_ be a part of our gang? Stupid, just stupid . . ."

Stone ignored Shadow yet again and answered Takumi's question brightly. "Mr. Mes was employed to supervise a competition between the schools in this city for the best band performance. The man you heard speaking was Mr. Bragg, the music teacher at East Yokohama."  
"But . . . he mentioned Shun . . ."  
"Shun also was a member of the band before he was arrested. Weren't you, Shun?"  
"Yes," replied Shun sadly, as though it were a bad memory, "I didn't like it too much, though . . ."

Shintaro got up from his chair and stretched tiredly. "Well, this has been an unnecessarily long morning." He checked his watch, which was broken. "We've been here long enough. I'm tired of all this talking. I've waited years and years for us to get to Step 2 - sending our experiments to the Digital World!"

"We're _not_ experiments," snapped Naoki, "and we're not going."

"WHAT!?" shouted Shintaro. "You can't go! I mean, you can't won't go! If you refuse to go, I'll kill you!" He dug his hand into his jacket threateningly.

Stone, who was taking this rather calmly, simply said, "Neither ways sound effective."

Shintaro looked like he was going to explode with anger. "NO! I swear I'll kill myself before they refuse to go!"  
"Find then," said Yuka, showing a startling sign of leadership. "Go and kill yourself. We don't care."  
"Don't talk to me that way, YOU SILLY LITTLE GIRL!" Shintaro roared, withdrawing the knife in his coat and waving in threateningly over a fearful Yuka's body.

"STOP!" shouted Takumi. "WE'LL GO! At least . . . I'll go . . ." He peered at the rest of the digital humans. They looked a bit stunned.

"Ever since I heard that my father supposedly died in the Digital World, I've thought that there's some chance that he's still alive," Takumi explained. Stone was about to open his mouth to say something, but stopped. Takumi understood what he wanted to say. "I _know_ that there's an extremely small chance that he's still alive. But even if you're 99.9% sure that my father's dead, then I'll still go. There's still that tiny tenth of a percent left . . ." He looked at the Shadow Gang. "I've never known my dad. And if there's a chance that I can find him in the Digital World, then I'm going. If I could find him, then it wouldn't matter if I were part-Digimon. My life would be better - better than it ever was."  
The rest of the digital humans understood. 

"If Takumi's going, then I'm going too," Ryota shrugged, as though it wasn't anything.

"I can't leave you two by yourselves. I've been chosen to become a Digimon too, I'm not going to waste it," decided Reina.

"What am I supposed to do if I stay here?" wondered Shun. "Why, we met this morning for the purpose of going out into the wild. And if you ask me, the Digital World is the most far away place from humans as you can get!"

"This is a big risk," said Naoki, "but I'm ready to take it. You guys need me - and I need you."  
"If Naoki's going, then I'm going too!" cheered Yuka.

"It will be dangerous," warned Miss Watari. "But you have the power of ultimate level Digimon on your side."  
"Don't worry about a thing," assured Ryan Royama. "You're leaving the human world, but we have faith in you. Everyone has faith in you. Do this for all the people who died in our failed experiments!"

"Enough talk," snapped Shintaro. "Just go there and clean out the place for us. And make it snappy!"

Takumi would have kicked Mr. Shintaro in the shin, but the fact that his father could be alive filled his mind with joy. Even though he was going to enter the Digital World, and even though he was going to face some hard times, and perhaps even lose friends - but the small hope that his father was living would stay with him until he found evidence against it.

Stone looked at Takumi and put his arms on his shoulders. "Takumi, I'm sorry - I'm very sorry at what's happened - about what I've done to you."  
Takumi smiled. "Don't worry - you're a great counselor -"  
Stone sighed. "I tried to be. But I didn't counsel you just to use you as an experiment. I wanted to know what the son of Kairu Hito was really like." They both looked into the far end of the tunnel, where a light was glowing brighter and brighter.

"A vortex!" pointed Naoki.

"The gate to the Digital World!"  
"You'd better enter it now," said Shintaro, who seemed very pleased for someone who was always in a crappy mood. "Before it disappears."

Takumi looked into Stone's eyes. "You're a great counselor, Mr. Shale - Mr. Stone." Takumi smiled. Stone smiled.

"_Never fight unless you really need to_," warned Stone, and Takumi knew he was repeating something he had said once before - something that had a double meeting. "You have a D-Pendulum now, and the power to become an ultimate level Digimon. It takes lots of energy, and the creature you transform into will have a lot of power. So before you digivolve to ultimate, digivolve to champion. Never fight unless you really need to."

"I won't," Takumi promised, realizing that he respected the counselor once more. His eyes moved to the portal of the Digital World in the tunnel, the hideout of the Shadow Gang. After shaking hands with Kisho Stone, he walked to the portal, his five close friends with him.

"Good-bye, Genesis Team!" waved Diana Watari good-bye, as Takumi felt energy in the portal, and felt as it sucked him in - the four members of the Shadow Gang waving good-bye, except for Shadow, who looked at them hopelessly and shook his head. But Takumi didn't worry about him. He didn't worry about anything. He waved good-bye too, and watched as the Shadow Gang and the tunnel, as the whole world that they knew, got smaller and smaller until they disappeared from view. With their new D-Pendulums by their side and the group standing together, the Genesis Team courageously entered a new world.

_Next time on Digimon Genesis!_

The Genesis Team enters the Digital World happily, but it doesn't look like their departure from it will be anything to smile about - if _they depart! Desert after desert of wild Digimon, friendly towns - that are not ruled by very friendly monsters - all in a world that knows no light - literally! It's going to be the wildest Digital World you've ever seen on the next Digimon Genesis:  
  
A WARRIOR'S DEPARTURE_

And that's all, folks! Until the next chapter, of course. The Shadow Gang has been revealed - and yes, I know you're going to kill me for who they are, but believe it or not, they were all planned from the very early chapters. There are lots of mysteries left, of course, and there's a possibility that I might have missed something. If you think I've missed something that you think needed to be revealed in this chapter, please e-mail me at: hamburglar8902@aol.com

Please read and review this chapter! I want to know your thoughts! So please click on that little review button - reviews make me filled with joy!


	24. A Warrior's Departure

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but if I did, I wouldn't have to write this disclaimer. 

Previously on Digimon Genesis . . . the Shadow Gang explained everything! Bah, what's the point of doing these, anyway? Who in their right mind skips to the 24th chapter of a story without reading anything preceding it?

****

DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER XXIV   
A WARRIOR'S DEPARTURE

"Ahhhhhh!"

Such was the screams and shouts heard as the six members of the Genesis Team crossed into an unknown world. Had he not pinched himself moments before, Takumi would have thought that he was dreaming, for in the back of his mind something told him that whatever was happening was not quite real - and yet, the rift that seemed to be pulling him like a magnet to the other world was realer than reality.

He was unable to describe what it felt like. It was as though every part of his body was falling asleep after skydiving off an airplane, with gravity pulling you violently to the ground. The dimensional rift was like a tunnel, and his eyes filled with all sorts of colors. In fear of having a seizure, he closed them and waited . . . waited . . . until he came to a sudden stop.

"Whoa!" Takumi felt the ground - the sand underneath him. This was it - he was in another world - the Digital World. More shouts followed, as one after the other his friends landed in a pile on top of him. The boy groaned, pushing a heavy and trembling Shun off his back. He was the first to open his eyes before the new world . . . and what he saw was wondrous, and yet chilling.

Mr. Stone must had been right about the time change between the Real and Digital Worlds - while he was positive that it had been late in the morning when they had left, the sky was now a midnight black. The strange moon was covered up behind a mist of clouds, leaving the night cold and dark. A bitter wind swept the sands of the desert they had landed in, leaving the group in an undesirable situation.

"Ugh!" Shun moaned in terror as the cool winds chilled his spine, the little bits of sand snatching the corner of his eye.

Ryota got up next, shivering in the cold night, but did not complain. From Naoki's teeth chattering dangerously, Takumi guessed that Naoki would become an ice cube in the bothersome weather. The girls were the last to get up, and it almost looked as though they would not get up at all. Takumi didn't blame them, had it not been life-threatening and stupid, he would have dug himself a hole and bury himself in the warm sand. He picked up a grain of sand and watched it disappear between the cracks in his fingers, then jerked back when some of it blew into his mouth. After he coughed up a boatload of sand, the wind fortunately quieted down a bit for the gang to communicate. Naoki, being the (unnatural) leader of the group, tried to write down his plans in the sand, but to no avail, his sloppy maps were quickly and quietly erased by the howling winds.

"We need to find a shelter," he explained to them, receiving a rather rude "Duh" from Ryota, who had put his hands in his pockets for warmth.

"_Brilliant_ idea, really, to come here with no supplies," muttered Shun sarcastically, his arms around himself, freezing in the desert winds.

As the cold winds and the raid of sand was coming from the west, the group decided it best to head in the opposite direction. Plus, Naoki pointed out what looked like mountains that way, but Takumi was sure it had been a mirage.

For what seemed like hours, the group kicked grains of sand out of their way and shivered in the cold. Looking up at the night sky, Takumi wished the moon (if the Digital World had a moon - would it?) could be out tonight . . . at least it would provide some healthy light.

"We're here!" Naoki pointed up at a large pile of boulders that formed a large mountain. In the daytime, it would have been quite beautiful - but in the darkness of the evening the huge structure loomed before them, and it had come so suddenly that it was similar to a ghost.

"Hmm, wonderful," drawled Shun, his arms still around himself. "Now we can freeze to death in a cave somewhere."  
"Not _freeze,_" corrected Naoki, as the wind picked up and blew sand in his small face, "but it will be a lot better than here, I'll grant you that . . ."

Tiredly, the group of children climbed the rock structure. Strangely, Takumi was able to push his way through the rocks with ease, his eyes were adjusting to the darkness. Just as bizarre was the fact that he had only been awake for four hours, but now he felt sleepy and tiredly. Twice he tried to take a big brown boulder as a pillow, but Reina, who looked equally exhausted, pulled him back.

The team spoke not a word as they trudged through the mountain, making Takumi feel lonely and a tiny bit frightened. Perhaps this was because he brought up the rear, and if anything (or anyone, if there were humans there) attacked them, he would be the first to go. To treat his fear, he opened his mouth to start a conversation with another member of the little team, but he found himself too tired to speak and knew that the others would not and could not maintain a good conversation while climbing in the cold air. Instead, he shivered and looked around timidly lest horrors come upon him.

Eventually they came to a stopping point. Takumi, at the rear and easily the last to see anything of importance, looked ahead at Naoki, who was, like always, leading the group.

"Well, this is where we stop," he said, indicating a cave nearby.

"We're going to sleep in a _cave_?" Reina exclaimed outrageously.

"It's either that or let the sand bury you on the ground. Come on in . . . I think it'll be alright."

Obediently, the rest of the group, Takumi included, stepped in. An icy chill crept through his body the second he entered. If he ever got back home, he would rip up every article on caves he could find - all described them as being warm and comforting, while Takumi, as a younger child, had thought them damp and slimy. His early suspicions had been correct - and this was the dampest, coldest, slimiest cave he had ever been in - the _only_ cave he had ever been in, actually.

"Comfy, huh?" said Naoki, making Takumi snort. He couldn't think of any place less comfortable. Nonetheless, the group each sat on some rocks a few yards away from the entrance and made themselves as comfortable as possible. Takumi could not imagine sleeping there, even though he was as tired as he'd ever been - not to mention hungry.

Evidently, Naoki's stomach had just been thinking the same thing, for an instant he said, glancing at his watch, "In our world, it would be lunchtime now. Anyone else besides me hungry?"  
Everyone raised their (in the darkness) invisible hands and exclaimed, "Me!"

"If we sleep now," observed their leader, "we would wake up around dinnertime, and be even hungrier. Therefore I think it best that we search for food now and get a fire going."

"But, where are we going to find food?" asked Ryota.

Looking outside of the shelter, Naoki replied, "Oh, I'm sure something's growing around here. After all, this place is a home to many, many Digimon. They have to live off _something_."

"Yeah," agreed Shun, shivering, "like us." It did not seem like he would want to be picked as a gatherer. Unfortunately for him, though, Naoki had already made his selections - Ryota, Shun, Reina, Yuka, and himself.

"It'll be much better if we put as much of us as possible on the job of getting food. We'll split up and if anyone finds trouble -" He looked into Shun's direction, "We'll just call each other on our D-Pendulums or D-Monsters."  
"But what about _me_?" asked Takumi pleadingly. It was one thing to be in a dark, damp cave with his friends, but alone and prone to a Digimon to attack at any time?   
"You'll be in charge of the fire. After all, you're the best man for the job."

Looking clueless as to why he was the best man for the job, Takumi was about to ask Naoki something, but before he could open his mouth the rest of the group had departed from the cave, leaving him all alone with none of the skills required to do his appointed job. As he groped miserably for some wood to rub together, he could not picture himself in a more awkward situation.

He finally found it, however, when it came to starting the fire itself. Feeling useless and stupid as he rubbed the two pieces of wood he had found, he wondered how early man had been able to make fires so easily. When he thought of bearded cavemen coming in and laughing at him, he angrily threw one wood block smashing into the cave wall, snapping it in half.

After searching long and hard for another piece of wood and reliving numerous failures in his mind, he finally found a fairly good-sized piece and headed back to the cave, only to spend another half hour rubbing wood together like a fool, but in vain.

Tired and unimpressed at his poor skills, Takumi plopped down on the most comfortable spot he could find (a large rock far from the entrance of the cave, with sharp points jumping out at odd ends).

Although he was bored, he did not feel brave enough to explore the body of the cave - at least, not without his friends by his side. he groped about in his pocket for his green D-Pendulum. If he cared to journey deep into the cave, he could easily contact his friends along the way - the advanced communication tool would prove quite effective for such a sport.

Sighing at his remarkable ability to accomplish nothing, he took to examining his new digivice.

It was a very small electronic, slightly smaller than his original D-Monster (which lay neglected in his pocket). It had the same three buttons - which controlled different features - including viewing the time, the day, the month, and the year. Takumi privately thought that if you didn't know what year it was, then you probably should not be wearing a watch. It also (to his displeasure) displayed his very own height (5'1) and weight (85 lbs.). Then came a screen showing 'WINS' (0%).

He snorted, figuring that zero percent wins only applied to his ultimate form - whoever it was. He hoped that his next level was as dangerous-looking as Ryota's had been.

He glanced at his left wrist, hoping to see a watch, but alas, he had none. Only six seconds later did he realize that the time was displayed on his D-Pendulum. Pressing the middle button, he was quite surprised that it was exactly 1:24:51.

"They've been gone for an hour!" he exclaimed, fumbling around the for the map on his new device. If several other red dots appeared on the LCD screen, his friends were safe and he was reassured. On the other hand, if his friends' dots had disappeared, then, well, he didn't want to think about it . . .

His worst fears came true upon just a glance at the map screen. He didn't notice that it was advanced, that it had upgraded features . . . all he knew was that the five red dots that mae up his friends had now vanished. The only dot that he found was one in the middle - himself.

"No!" he shouted, feeling his insides burst. "No - it can't be! Can't be!" In agony, his fist struck the dirt. It started to bleed; Takumi didn't care. He knew what to do now - he would bleed himself to death. It was much better than being left in a dark world with his friends dead!  
Holding up a sharp rock, he slammed it onto his hand, creating a small cut. The pain only made his emotions worse, but strangely, if the pain would get worse and worse, Takumi would be in pain no longer.

In the dust he sobbed, his hands and knees on the cave floor. Looking pathetic, he tried to find more rocks to slash his arm, and when he found them, he _beat_ it. In a few minutes' time, warm, dark-red blood had covered the soft skin of his left hand. He had been so busy trying to kill himself that he scarcely heard distant shouts near the cave entrance.

Worried, but knowing that it could be a glimmer of hope, Takumi rushed towards the dark entrance of the caves, and who he saw under the stars of the night sky was none other than Ryota.

Looking cheerful, he flashed at Takumi what looked like a bunch of weeds that he had once unearthed after long, hard hours of toiling in the late Mr. Enomoto's yard. If it was food, it didn't look too appetizing. Realizing that he may have to live on those for the rest of his time spent in the Digital World made him (for the first time in his life) long for something at McDonald's.

"Ryota!" he shouted, not once attempting to cover his bloody hand (which acquired rather curious looks from his companion, but luckily he didn't say a thing). Happy, but also feeling as though he had just seen a person rise from the dead, he delivered question after question to his friend.

"One dot in the middle?" answered an impassive Ryota to Takumi's first and foremost question. "I guess I was so close to your area, so I guess the rest of the group and I showed up as one dot." To test his theory he withdrew his own black D-Pendulum, and, sure enough, only one dot appeared.

This answer obviously led to Takumi's second important question ("Where is the rest of the group?") to which Ryota answered: "They were right behind me, last time I checked. They -"  
But before he could utter another word appeared the rest of the group at the entrance: Naoki, Shun, Reina, and Yuka. Smiles lit on their faces, they all came in carrying the same plant that Ryota had grabbed, except Reina, who thankfully had cupped some blueberries safely in her hand, and (not so thankfully) Shun, who was carrying what looked like a newborn cactus.

"Shun!" scowled Naoki, the youngest of the group, peering disapprovingly at the spiked plant, "You were supposed to bring something that was _edible_!"

Sighing in his own failure, Shun dropped the ugly thing to the ground, before licking his index finger with an "Yargh! Thorns." Then, discovering the perfect chance for the group to forget about his miserable find, he quickly pointed out that Takumi had not succeeded in making a fire.

"Uh . . . heh-heh," nervously laughed Takumi, just remembering his own inefficacy, "Umm . . . well you see . . ." He didn't know what to say. Whatever he did, the group would surely laugh at his incompetence. He eyed the team, especially Reina, then said truthfully:  
"Well, you see, I rubbed my wood, and I did it for a long time, but . . . nothing happened."

Silence. No one moved or said anything until Ryota and the rest of the group let their mouths drop to the rocky floor.

"Uh, heehee," laughed Takumi nervously, holding two hands in the air for an explanation, "Yes, I know I'm stupid, I'm just not the outdoor-sy type. Don't have any survival skills whatsoever."

This explanation received the feedback he had feared.

"Ugh! _Idiot_!" shouted Ryota, pushing his way through the rest of the group and violently digging into Takumi's own pockets ("Ow! That hurts!") and grabbing the boy's red D-Monster.

"What does _this_ look like to you?" exclaimed Ryota, hurling the digivice inches from Takumi's nose.

"It - oh." "It" finally dawned on him.

* * *

An hour had passed, an, thanks to Hiamon, the cave was now lit with a roaring fire. After receiving a severe beating from Ryota that he'd rather forget (not to mention a dinner of berries - he didn't touch the plants), Takumi found a quiet chamber of the small shelter and settled down. Having no blanket over him, or a mattress under him, he found it hard to get to sleep. Uncomfortably, he put his fingers in his ears to keep out the sound of Shun's loud snoring. Shun, Ryota, Yuka, and Reina were, to his knowledge, fast asleep, leaving himself as the only one awake, except for Naoki, who was on guard duty. Takumi didn't think it necessary to have a guard, they hadn't run into any trouble and the cave itself was suitable enough protection, but nonetheless he was thankful for the position, himself being the first one to fulfill it. Now that his job for the night was over, he could go to sleep with no interruption. If only he could _get_ to sleep.

His stomach gave a mighty lurch. Turning over on his side, he certainly hoped that those berries hadn't been poisonous.

A loud sound nearby disturbed his thoughts.

In the eerie blackness, Takumi made out the figure of Reina, walking into his chamber.

"Can't sleep either, huh?" asked the boy. Had he been able to see, he would've seen the girl shake her head, but the only response he received was:

"Mmm."

"I'm sorry, Reina. Sorry for dragging you into all of this."  
"That's alright," said Reina, but her tone indicated otherwise.

Nothing Reina's lies, he said: "You didn't have to come if you didn't want to." Then, as to not make the statement sound offensive, he added shortly: "Well, actually, I'm kind of glad that you came."

The girl shook her head sadly. "I didn't have a choice," she said quietly. "If I had gone back home, I would've had a lot of explaining to do."

Takumi hated this. It seemed as though her sole purpose of coming in was to make him feel bad about himself! Feeling not only bad but also uncomfortable, he wished that he could have had a class on understanding girls. Asking her to dance, talking to her between classes, and using the potion on her were foolish acts, he didn't know the first thing about girls!

"Well, at least this place isn't too bad," said Takumi, trying his best to cheer Reina up, but quickly found that this was impossible.

Reina peered back at the entrance of the cave. "We all got to bed around 3:00, you were on guard, then Ryota until five . . . Naoki's guarding now, so I'm guessing it's 5:30 . . ." She sighed. "If I were back home now, I would probably be happily sitting at my desk in my room, doing homework. I would probably be hearing the sounds of my brother bouncing his basketball around his room . . ."  
She sat down very close to him, but Takumi didn't dare put his arm around her shoulder. He knew too well that this would probably result in getting eaten. Instead, he tried, in vain, yet again, to cheer her up. "Hey," he soothed, "don't worry. We'll be back home before you know it."  
"Oh yeah?" she spat suddenly, standing up. "And what then? We'll have to explain everything, our lives would be ruined -"  
"But - but -"  
"But nothing! And before we go home we have to colonize this world. Just what did Shadow mean by 'colonize' anyway? To clear it out for humans? Wouldn't that mean wipe out all the monsters here? There are only six of us, and if we go against all of them, even at ultimate level, we couldn't beat _every_ Digimon! We're going home _if _we survive. But if this whole world is against us, there's NO WAY TO SURVIVE!"

"Keep it down!" said a sleepy Shun the next room over.

Ignoring him, Reina turned to Takumi and continued, "There's no way to survive. The only thing we'll get is more suffering. And if that's the only road, then I think I'll just end it all myself!"  
"No!" Takumi shouted back, then added quietly, "I once thought the same thing, that everything was hopeless, and I came pretty near suicide, when -" He thought back to that day when Shun had turned up, much alive, on his stairs. "That was when I realized that the source of all my problems didn't exist."

"Wait, back up. Are you telling me that none of my problems exist?"

"No, not at all, I -"

"I, I, I! That's all you ever think of, Takumi! Yourself. Maybe you don't have any problems, but I sure as hell do, and you're one of them!"  
She stormed out of his chamber to tearfully go back to sleep, but when Takumi saw a brown-red glow appearing around her body, he whispered, "Reina - you're -"  
"I don't care!" she thundered back, but she located her D-Monster and the glow vanished.

Soon after came a great rumbling sound. Had it not been common sense and the fact that it came from outside the cave, Takumi would have thought that Reina's shouts had caused the rumbling.

In a few seconds the great rumbling had awakened he entire cave, and Takumi, Ryota, Shun, Yuka, and Reina were standing, bewildered, at the entrance.

"Phew," breathed Shun, "I was having the nastiest nightmare - some witch kept screaming in my ear, cackling away!"  
Takumi smirked at Reina, who did not look too pleased. Fortunately, what she wnated to shout back was delayed by a "Where's Naoki?" from Yuka.

"Here I am!" Naoki shouted back. 

The Genesis Team peered down. On a ledge below them stood the small blonde-haired boy, who was surveying his D-Monster with interest.

"Rhinomon," he muttered, "a mammal Digimon. Vaccine type. Champion level. When he's about to launch his deadly Atomic Burst attack, you had better watch out!" For the first time they realized what had been causing the rumbling. As a humongous dust cloud rose, it revealed a large, gold animal Digimon. It looked as though a sculpture had come to life; the heavy rhino let out a mighty battle cry, which shook the earth underneath them. Naoki turned to his friends and gave them the OK symbol.

"Be careful, Naoki!" Yuka called to her friend. 

"I'll be fine," he replied fearlessly, and, as he jumped to the bottom, he shouted - "It's only a champion!" Then came a glow of white light and miliseconds later, Sorcerimon appear in the place of Naoki.

The wizard jumped to the ground and confronted the dangerous looking champion.

"See what the power of a human can do!" shouted the sorcerer as he flew over the charging rhino.

Rhinomon jumped in the air on his hind legs, his horn firm. The two collided in mid-air, but the result was not pleasant. The animal Digimon intercepted the oncoming Sorcerimon, and, with a powerful shake of its golden horn, flung the wizard's staff aside, leaving it on its end in the cold sand.

"No!" Sorcerimon cried as he too landed in the stand on his back, but his staff was on the other side of the rhino. To get it, he would have to make his way past the beast again - and would have to be victorious in doing so.

His wand arm out, the wizard Digimon again charged at the golden rhino. The sorcerer's hand met with Rhinomon's horn. Just as he felt a strong sense of triumph, the wizard felt himself being dragged by the horn, lower and lower.

"GURR!" roared the rhino.

"No!"

A painful grunt escaped Sorcerimon's lips as he was flung into the side of a cliff. Takumi watched the horrible scene as the wizard attempted to move, but in vain. Printed to a rocky cliff opposite the children, all the sorcerer could do was watch.

"Atomic Burst!"

From the sand came a pool of energy, and from that pool came a terrific, swirling energy ball. A deafening roar emitted from the rhino came, firing the energy ball at the doomed wizard.

"SPEJSH!"

The five children atop the cliff covered their eyes as the cliff opposite them exploded in awesome blue light. Ryota was the first to open his eyes, and when the others did so as well, the cliff - as well as Sorcerimon - was no more.

What looked like yellow dust was absorbed by the killer rhino, who let out a triumphant roar and continued on his journey, shaking the ground along his way, searching for more victims. Such was the life of a wild Digimon: a cold, heartless hunter.

* * *  
  
"And so," began Yuka tearfully as she carried the now empty digivices of Naoki, "we begin our ceremony, the cremation of the digivices, to honor our departed friend Naoki Reda, who has fallen in battle." She turned to the four, a roaring fire behind her. In the firelight Takumi made out all her features for the first time. Curly black hair that came to her shoulders, a small nose, and a sad face.

The rest of the group stood in front of Yuka in pairs: Takumi and Reina, Ryota and Shun. The former pair stood close together, it was the first time that night that they stood together without anger for each other. They were bound by their sadness.

An hour had passed since the tragedy of Naoki's untimely death. Untimely, thought Takumi, realizing that Naoki had been only eight years old. If Takumi died right now, he would have lived four years longer than Naoki.

Unable to sleep, Yuka had called the group for a meeting and actually spoke for once, on a proper funeral for Naoki. She told them it would help her sleep better, but Takumi doubted it. With the sad look on her face, it looked as though she would never sleep a night without waking up to a pillow of tears again. But the funeral progressed. Since there was no body for burial, Yuka insisted on cremation of his devices, which, she said, secreted a part of Naoki's soul. Both devices now empty, Yuka asked them all to pay their respects to Naoki.

Takumi stepped up first, his head down, eyeing the ground. The lump in his throat grew larger as he said his final words to poor, lost Naoki.

"He was a good leader in every way," he said softly, "even though he was younger than the rest of us . . . there was no other person fit for the job." The lump in his throat was about to explode, but he persevered and said in finality, "If it weren't for him . . . we may still be wondering what our powers were for. But he helped us unite - as a team." Unable to speak anymore because of the hot pain in his throat, Takumi stepped back next to Reina. He hoped his words hadn't been too short. Luckily, Yuka understood and motioned for Reina to come up.

The girl looked more shocked than sad, but nevertheless she stood in the light of the fire and said: "I - I never really knew Naoki Reda." She looked nervously into Yuka's direction; Yuka had tears running down her rosy cheeks. "But -" Reina struggled to find words, "he was a good person, and a good leader. Without him, we wouldn't have gotten to the Digital World." Takumi sniffed but he did not say anything; it was he who had got them to the Digital World. But he sympathized with Reina, she needed to say _something_ nice. If he had gone to Hiroshi Watanabe's (the boy he had killed on his first night as Hiamon) funeral, he wouldn't had been able to say much. Not unlike Reina and Naoki, Takumi and Hiroshi hadn't really known each other well.

Reina ended her speech with inspiring words. "Naoki was our leader, and -" She looked up into the night sky. "- He will always be our leader. I'm sure he's watching us from up above, right now." After Reina stepped back and he stopped looking up at the starry sky, Ryota paid his respects:  
"When I first became a Digimon, I was wild and uncontrollable. I even killed a man before Naoki set me and Takumi straight. He was our natural leader, of course. At first, I didn't that fact, because he was -" Then, with a look at Yuka, he said, "He was so young. But he was a born leader, and no one else here, or in all the world, could have faced such challenges and difficulties as Naoki Reda did. He only lived eight years, but in my opinion - and in the opinions of everyone who knew him - he was the best leader in all the world - and in this one, too."

His head down, Ryota stepped back and waited for Shun to say his words. Looking stressed, the eighth grader walked near the warmth of the fire. In the light he looked older, shocked, and depressed. His hands in his pockets, the boy looked skyward and said:  
"Naoki was . . . a good leader. Kind, gentle, and very young . . . but you always felt some kind of powerful energy around him, and you knew . . . you knew that he was in charge, and you always felt some sort of protection when you were around him. Even when I was in juvenile hall, I felt him as our leader, and knew that I had to get out. It's thanks to Naoki that we are all united as a team. Now that he's in heaven, I don't know who will be our leader. Hopefully he will still help us from beyond the grave. Whatever happens, it's for sure that his spirit will live on, inside of all of us . . . and he will lead."

Now it was Yuka's turn to grieve the loss. She was easily the most emotional, and spoke the longest of them all. As tears rolled down her cheeks, she said, "When I met Naoki, I was a new student in kindergarten. I was worried how I would be accepted. Naoki was the one who paved the way on my road to friendship. If it weren't for him, I'd be a lonely third grade girl now. He was so nice to me, and he was so encouraging. He was a great leader. He stood up courageously against Rhinomon for us - for me. He gave up his life for all of us. The greatest leader . . ." She began to sob loudly. "I know - I know - that he's watching us now . . ." And with these final words, the poor girl dropped both of Naoki's digivices into the roaring fire.

RUSHHH.

The fire smoked up into the heavens, turning the devices into ashes. As Yuka and the rest of the team mourned Naoki's death, it was like Takumi could feel the departed soul rising, rising, high up into the sky.

* * *

Sleepily, Takumi walked down the short tunnel of the small cave to the entrance. It was not yet morning, but something had woken him up and he had found, after much tossing and turning, that he could not get back to sleep. Instead he trotted to the edge of the cliff. He could easily see the exact spot in which Naoki met his demise. A few feet closer to him, on the same ledge that Naoki had attended before jumping to his last battle, sat Ryota, who had volunteered to be the guard after Yuka tearfully announced that it was her turn.

"You still awake, too?" asked Takumi.

"That's a stupid question," Ryota snapped. "Of course I'm awake. That's my job." He violently threw a stick over the side of the cliff. It hit the bottom with a loud _SNAP_.

"Just checking . . ." said Takumi, who found the energy to jump to the ledge on which the guard sat.

"Mmm?" he inquired, before loud sobs echoed in the cave walls over them.

Takumi sighed as he looked hopelessly into the dark cave entrance. "Yuka," he said finally, turning to Ryota, "I'm going to go talk to her. It can't be easy, having to go through all of this . . ."  
"No, let her be. She'll get over it."  
"What?"  
Changing his uncomfortable position, Ryota replied: "Sometimes it's just better to let the victim deal with the loss themselves."  
Takumi shook his head. "She needs cheering up, and that's what I'll give her."  
Ryota snorted. "In case you haven't noticed, you're not the world's greatest at cheering up girls."  
Angrily, Takumi made a noise of disapproval. "Well, at least I'm not cold-hearted like you are . . . thinking that people will heal by just being left alone . . . perfect cure."

"You're not getting it, Takumi. I didn't mean to not notice them."  
"Yes, you did -"  
"_No I didn't_. What I'm trying to say is that time will heal. She'll need comforting, but sometimes sad people don't want a person beside them all the time. As time goes on, they'll get better. Trust me."  
Knowing that this was a losing argument for him, Takumi countered, "I'm so glad you're not a doctor, Ryota. A person with pneumonia comes in . . . 'time will heal'. Hmph."

Ryota was getting angry. "You're still not getting it, Takumi! She's just watched her best friend die!" Then, adding softly: "I thought you, of all people, would be able to understand what it's like to lose a loved one . . . especially someone who was very young."

"I was only three years old when my father died!" was the retort, Takumi held up three fingers.

Ryota shook his head. "I'm not saying your dad specifically. Didn't you have, like, a grandparent die?"  
"Four," Takumi replied. "My grandmother on my father's side died giving birth to him . . . my grandpa was about fifty years old when he had my father. So he died shortly after my parents married. My grandparents on my mother's side both died of some heart disease before I was born. So there."  
Ryota looked sympathetic. "Sorry . . . but . . . all my grandparents are still living . . . well, you should still just leave Yuka alone. In the morning . . . you can talk to her . . . we can all talk to her. But for now . . . leave her be."

Takumi grunted irritably. "Now _you're_ not getting it. If all of your grandparents are living, then how would you know how it feels to lose a loved one? What if someone came over to your house and killed your parents? Then you'd see how it feels to be depressed!"

"Is that a threat?" Ryota replied cooly, standing up like Reina did only hours before.

"No. But what would you do if it happened? You'd be just like Yuka. Feeling all alone and needing someone . . ."

"I would feel depressed, but I wouldn't need anyone. Time would heal. I'd grieve for a long time, but _time will heal._ And time will heal for Yuka."

"Fine then!" retorted Takumi, ending the argument awkwardly. But he took Ryota's advice, and as he walked through the cave back to bed, he did not come to Yuka's side. He just hoped that time would heal - for Yuka, and for the rest of the group. As he crawled back onto his hard bed, he regretted the two arguments he had made with Reina and Ryota. What they needed most now was a unified team . . . a team unified through both good times and bad, through triumph and plague.

__

Next time on Digimon Genesis!

The Genesis Team are surprised to find that not only wild Digimon live in the Digital World. When they are picked up the next morning by an uncanny stranger and his servant, they find themselves in more trouble than they can ever imagine. It's just the beginning of another huge mystery on the next Digimon Genesis:  
  
JAILHOUSE ROCK

Well, that's all for now. Like I promised, a death occurred. But don't worry, the rest of the team isn't going anywhere soon. As always, read and review by clicking on that nice little button below . . . and if you feel as though you haven't seen a real glimpse of the Digital World, don't worry, I'll make up for that in the next few chapters.  



	25. Jailhouse Rock

Sorry about the delay of this chapter, but don't worry, summer starts very soon and I'll be able to get out more chapters than ever! Why was this chapter so late? Well, all my Chapter 25 papers were scattered and I had to get them together and rewrite a lot so it wasn't confusing.

_Previously on Digimon Genesis, the Genesis Team arrived in a cold, dark Digital World. There, Naoki fought a Rhinomon, but the battle didn't turn out in his favor, and he was killed by the vicious Digimon! Afterwards, the team had a short funeral for him and did not sleep soundly, deeply concerned about what the days ahead would bring..._

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon. But remember - I own your soul._

_edited 8/17/06_

**DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER 25**

**JAILHOUSE ROCK**

Takumi rolled over in his sleep. With all the horrors he had been experiencing lately, sleep was the only comforting thing in life, but it would not last long. Little did the tired boy know that he would soon be rudely awakened by the sound of large feet.

At first, he had thought the sounds were a part of his dream - which was a strange one. It was hard to tell if it was reality or dream, because it began with him waking up - waking up to yet another sound. The walls of the cave they were in were shaking, sending large rocks crashing down over their heads.

Instantly Takumi knew what was happening - a cave-in. As he quickly got to his feet, it occurred to him that a member of their group may have been buried by the earthquake. Just as he had feared, a muffled sound came from a large pile of stones in the middle of the cave.

"Ryota!" he had shouted in his dream, recognizing the voice. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Ryota!" He bitterly remembered their quarrel the previous night. If his friend suffocated under the rocks, he would never forgive himself!

Within seconds the pile had been lifted through what seemed like superhuman strength, but in reality - if such a term be applied to this dream - he had only imagined himself doing it. When the last rock had disappeared, revealing the poor victim's body, Takumi gasped. The body was not that of Ryota, but of the Shadow Gang leader - Tekkan Shintaro.

"Hello, Takumi, how are you doing?" the man asked, followed by maniacal laughter. In sheer horror, Takumi covered his eyes, and he felt his whole forehead melting, then the sound of feet, then a pull at his neck. He was pulled off his feet, over the cackling head of Tekkan Shintaro, when -

"Ow!"  
"Careful now! If you kill him, we may lose our case. You know how tricky SkullSatamon can be."

"Sorry, Sir."

Takumi had bumped his head on the cave wall, and now he felt a slight pain in his back. No . . . opening his eyes, he realized that it was reality now, and that he had been pulled up, and he had fallen, fallen on his back onto the cave _floor._ But who had been pulling him?  
Whoever it was grabbed him by the scruff of his neck again and pulled him onto a scaly body. Fearful, he found himself on the back of a large dinosaur. His friends slept tiredly on the reptile, and the one who had hauled him up climbed to the front of the green dinosaur Digimon.

His captor was a strange sight - it didn't seem his bony arms could lift five pounds without breaking them. He resembled an abnormally large green bat, with huge, yellow teeth and a mane of thick red hair. His small, long fingers made him look demonic, however tiny.

"Well, that's the last of them!" spoke another voice. "Aah, after so many years, I have struck gold! I would prefer to kill them myself, but it wouldn't hurt to have them arrested. Then the whole world can spit on these insidious murders!"

On top of the dinosaur Digimon, Takumi scanned the bat-like Digimon. "Vilemon," he read from his new D-Pendulum, "virus type, champion level. His special attack is Nightmare Shock."

Next he scanned the green dinosaur Digimon. It had two large, red and black striped horns, a long, mammoth-like tail, and a tattoo of a skull-and-crossbones on his shoulder. Some spikes protruded from his back, making it a bit uncomfortable to sit on. Judging by the color of Vilemon's rear end, he had apparently learned that the hard way. "Tuskmon," he scanned, "virus-type, champion level. His special attack is Slamming Tusk."

Next he scanned the Digimon who seemed to be Vilemon's master. He had a long, black cape which came from his shoulders to his feet, a red chest, black legs, a long, forked tail, and a red trident.

"Phelesmon," Takumi scanned, "Virus type, ultimate level. His special attack is Demon Shout - WHOA!" The Tuskmon under him was moving!  
"WHOA!" he shouted as he tumbled off, landing on his hands on the desert floor. So shocked was he from tumbling off of the dinosaur, he forgot his sense of direction and ended up running away from Phelesmon and his servant. Of course, Phelesmon took this the wrong way and ordered:  
"Vilemon! After him! Don't let him escape!"

With an effortless jump, Vilemon flew to the sand, flying right after Takumi as he ran as fast as he could down the desert. Phelesmon's plan backfired: Instead of getting Vilemon to bring him back, being chased by the servant only made him run faster. It was only when he tripped that the bat Digimon finally caught up with him. Afterwards, he (difficultly) had to drag him on back of Tuskmon, to a very angry Phelesmon.

"Don't you ever do that again!" the master scowled. "If you do . . . Then . . . You know what to do, now, don't you Vilemon?"  
"Right!" said the bat scratchily, flapping his torn wings.

Now the Tuskmon began to move again, and Takumi grabbed on to one of his spikes to keep himself balanced; Phelesmon was at the reigns, Vilemon making himself useless behind him. From the movement, his friends awoke quickly and were very much surprised to find themselves on a running dinosaur Digimon.

"Gaah!" Shun cried after nearly falling off. "Where are we?" he demanded, likewise grabbing on to Tuskmon's spikes.

"You tell me," was the reply. "Those two . . . They just picked us up and hauled us on their dinosaur . . . Thing."

"I don't know about this," Ryota observed after a brief explanation about what happened from Takumi, "after all, that guy's an ultimate level Digimon." Then, turning to his now awake friends, he added: "Not that I'm scared. I can go ultimate too!"

"Yes, but that requires a lot of energy," Shun warned. Save it for when you really need it!"

"QUIET!" came a yell from Phelesmon. "You criminals don't have the right to talk!"

Even though he felt quite afraid, Takumi shouted back:  
"Hey, what did you just call us? Criminals! What did we do to you?"

"You know perfectly well what you did!" snapped Phelesmon, sounding like an angry parent. Then, with a pull at Tuskmon's horns, he shouted: "Whoa! Easy there, boy! Now get on the trail to Demon Palace! You kidnaped my daughter!"  
"Huh?" was the word expressed by the captive children.

"You - you five - you're the ones responsible for the kidnaping of my precious daughter! It's just by sheer luck that I found you, hiding cowardly in a cave instead of trying to face _me! _You're the catalyst of all my troubles. How wonderful it will be for me to finally bring you to justice by way of the Digital Police!" With a swish of his cape, Phelesmon tugged tightly at the reigns as to not fall from his speeding animal.

"You've all been very, very bad!" exclaimed Vilemon with a nasty grin, facing the group and spreading out his short, bat-like wings. "Master Phelesmon will be sure that you are put to death for your serious crime!"  
Turning towards the sky, his master warned, "You had be best to keep quiet, too, Vilemon." And, obediently, the timid bat shrank under his wings and perched on one of Tuskmon's protruding spikes.

"He's a lunatic," Ryota said quietly. "If he turns us in, the police will think his case is so stupid that they'll send him to a mental institution!"

"Just our luck that the first non-wild monster we find here is a nutcase," said Reina gloomily.

"Don't worry," Takumi assured, "at least we know there is some civilization in this world. Then, we won't have to fight our way through." He turned to brown-haired Shun, who sat uncomfortably on the scaly reptilian. His beady eyes were far from their usual cheerful and happy selves. Now, they seemed preoccupied with something.

"What's wrong, Shun?"  
"Nothing." Then, contradictory to his previous statement, he said, "What if the police force in this world is - cruel? What if they don't listen to us? What's the consequence for kidnaping someone in this place?"  
A shiver went down Takumi's spine, but he tried to be assuring. "We can't think like that. Don't worry. The police will hear us out."  
"Hmm," Shun agreed with an uncertain nod.

Although they had made an effort to keep quiet, evidently Phelesmon heard them.

"Shut up!" he shouted. "Be quiet, now . . . For all I know, you are whispering amongst yourselves, plotting against me!"

Takumi had the right mind to shout, "Shut up yourself, you deranged monster!" but even without it, Phelesmon ordered his servant:  
"You there! Give them the shock of their life!"

Vilemon grinned, showing three nasty gold teeth, and happy, to do something for his master, he flew right next to Takumi, conjured up an electricity ball, and fired:

"Nightmare Shock!"

"AAGGHHH!" Through his body came a painful electric surge, and for the rest of the journey, Takumi (and his friends, who were also zapped) had no choice but to remain silent.

The sky darkened as the odd crew neared their destination. An eerie chill through the desert made the now silenced Genesis Team uncomfortable, but Phelesmon and his servant did not seem to notice. They rode on, undaunted by the cold winds and the lonely desert landscape. Takumi peered up at the pitch black sky and his jaw fell to the sandy floor. A swirling, dark cloud that was shaped like a whirlpool hung above them, making booming, thunderous noises every so often. The humans could see each other and their location, but there was something in the cool air that made them more fearful than they were during the nighttime. Even Ryota looked back uneasily, as though expecting to find something tailing them. Yuka cringed and sobbed, feeling helpless and alone. Takumi knew that if Naoki was still with them, she would be much better. Though he had been the youngest, Naoki still had some sort of powerful glow around him, making those close to him feel fearless. Shun, the oldest, was fairing no better than Yuka - shivering, hungry, tired. Reina kept quiet, but looked uncomfortable, and her eyes were black and empty, her warm face now pale.

The only ones who seemed to be enjoying the ride were their captors. Phelesmon held Tuskmon's horns tightly and leaned forward, his long black cape blowing behind him in the wind, he resembled one on a motorcycle - cool and careless, their hair blowing back in the wind as they sped along on the highway.

"We're almost there!" he announced quite cheerfully, flashing a rare grin to his companion. "Just a little bit further . . ." After they had picked up speed (by whipping the poor old Tuskmon's) and gone another mile or two, Takumi's eyes caught the sight of a large black dot, which had before been hidden by the blowing sand.

As though reading his mind (which Takumi was sure he could not) Phelesmon pointed out: "See that here? That little black dot? That's the palace of the Digital World - Demon Palace!" He said these words like a soldier gaining the edge in battle, and this, Takumi thought sourly, met his judgment was near. If the police didn't take his side, what would happen to he and his friends? He imagined all sorts of cruel and unusual punishments, ranging from mild (sent to jail for a short while) to severe (torture, then being thrown into a pit of lava). Even the lightest punishment was bad - what would he do behind bars? If it would be anything like Shin's experience, he would rather be thrown into that lava pit than endure the boredom.

"Look at that!"  
It was Shun's voice, and he was pointing out a large building in front of them. Phelesmon ordered him to be quiet, but gave no punishment for, though he seemed familiar with it, the sight before him was stunning (especially to Vilemon, who rang his hands together with excitement).

A quarter of a mile away from them lay a remarkable building. It was over 500 feet tall, and very large. It resembled a chapel, but Takumi would have thought it better than any Roman cathedral - except for the fact that it was black. Where the cross would usually be on top was instead a large stone gargoyle. A tall iron gate surrounded it, guarded by brown robot Digimon.

"Hiya, g'day, Guardromon!" greeted Vilemon as they neared the gate.

"Oh, don't be stupid," snapped Phelesmon as he climbed off the Tuskmon, "there's no use talking to it, his only job is to guard the gate and kill any intruders. You can yell at him, swear at him, or throw a rock at him, but it won't matter, you'll get the same response. Isn't that right, big guy?" He playfully punched the machine and instructed everyone to get down from the dinosaur, Tuskmon, who was stationed at the gate.

"Why, of course I know that!" exclaimed Vilemon timidly, stepping behind his master. "Just playing around, Sir." His master ignored him and faced the robotic guard. "Well, aren't you going to let me in?" he scowled. To Phelesmon's surprise, the Guardromon replied:  
"PLEASE INSERT CARD." The guard held out a hand with a card-shaped slot. Phelesmon chuckled and said, "How could I forget? An Entrance Card, of course!" He fumbled around in his many pockets for a moment, until he finally withdrew a plastic black card which easily fit in the guard's hand slot.

"SCANNING CARD . . . PLEASE WAIT . . ."  
A minute later, Guardromon's eyes flashed red (scaring Vilemon silly) and miraculously, the iron gate swung open like an automatic door at a grocery store. Now the Genesis Team and their captors stood in the shadow of the looming palace. Takumi had never seen a building this beautiful - or such a building so _frightening._

"Where'd you get that card, boss?" asked Vilemon as he hopped after his master, "I've read about this place, and only very important people are allowed access to an Entrance Card to _this _place!"

"Shows you how important I am," said Phelesmon handsomely, holding his cape to his chest as he was followed along the path to a wide door.

Takumi, always curious, foolishly asked, "What would happen if a Digimon was too big to fit through the door?"

"Shut up!" Phelesmon snapped, striking the ground with his staff. "And don't ask questions!"

With his staff, the aristocrat turned the doorknob and quietly entered. Being more than secure from the gate, the palace probably didn't need the door to offer more protection. Vilemon loudly shut the creaking door behind them after all seven had entered.

The inside was even more stunning than the outside, if this was possible. While it was still creepy in its own way, it was a delightful contrast from the darkness, for light shined throughout the castle.

In the lobby was a grand staircase, covered by a rose-red royal carpet. The stairs spiraled into what seemed like forever. The lobby itself was uncomfortably empty, but a few end tables stood near the staircase. All around the walls were decorated with portraits of royal Digimon, robed in red, glamorous garments.

Phelesmon sighed, apparently after looking about for something. "Oh, I wish they'd install an elevator!" he complained, looking less than happy about the spiraling staircase.

Takumi was about to ask how a large monster could fit in an elevator, but sense got the better of him as they reluctantly climbed the long staircase.

" . . . I mean really, not all of us can fly," complained Phelesmon as Vilemon began to flap his triumphant wings up the staircase, only to be pulled down by the tail, so the poor bat Digimon was forced to walk up the steps like the rest of the group.

Through Phelesmon's complaining that he was too good for the stairs and Vilemon annoying them all with dumb comments about the palace, Takumi just about went crazy. Fortunately, Phelesmon was irritated at Vilemon as well and the stupid facts came to and end with "The main structure was remodeled by . . ." as Phelesmon nearly gouged the tiny bat's eyes out with his staff.

After what seemed like forever, the group finally reached a landing after climbing eight flights of stairs, each with 27 steps. Proudly, Phelesmon opened the door and entered, holding the door for the rest of them. A few yards away from him lay a small desk. Seated behind it was a young, very attractive woman. No - not a woman - another Digimon that _resembled _a young woman. But she was also very different from an ordinary human female. She wore a large gray helmet which covered her eyes, and several large, white wings protruded from her back. No, she was definitely not a woman - but just as attractive, thought Takumi privately.

"Phelesmon!" she said, with evident surprise. "How . . . how unexpected! How are you doing?"

"Good, very good indeed!" Phelesmon said. "I believe we finally have them!"

Takumi thought it was eerie how confident Phelesmon sounded. Was it just another side effect of his lunacy, or did he really expect to have a case against them?

"Oh . . . really?" the angel woman asked. "And what would you like me to do?"

"I would like to see Mr. SkullSatamon!" Phelesmon declared.

The secretary pursed her lips. "Mr. SkullSatamon is very busy with important work at the moment, and he specifically asked me not to disturb him."  
Phelesmon growled irritably. "But this is urgent! And besides . . . I have a sneaking suspicion that what's making him busy isn't as important as he'd think it is."

The Digimon sighed. "Very well then," she said reluctantly, leaving her desk and walking down a hallway. After entering a room at the right, she became engrossed in a conversation with a Digimon that Takumi presumed was Mr. SkullSatamon. He caught some of their conversation:  
"Mr. SkullSatamon?"  
"What is it?" Then - "What? Tell that blowhard that I'm busy -" (an annoyed grunt from Phelesmon) " - You shut up now. What? Oh, for crying out loud . . . I said _shut up._ I'll be back." The angelic Digimon returned a minute later with someone who didn't look anything like an angel. It was, in fact, a giant orange skeleton with a black helmet and black trousers. A large staff which Takumi assumed was his lay, unused, at the end of the long hallway.

"Well, we meet again, Mr. SkullSatamon!" greeted Phelesmon.

"Unfortunately," Takumi heard the skeleton mutter, and he was sure Phelesmon heard too.

"Now, you're probably wondering why I came to you. Well, I have come to report . . ."

" - That you've found the ones that kidnaped your daughter," finished SkullSatamon to an astonished Phelesmon. "Yes, I know . . ."

"But - how?"  
"How? How? Why, for the last ten years you've done nothing but harass me about your precious daughter. These Digimon -" he gestured to the children, "are just innocent little monsters who were picked off the street by you."  
Takumi frowned. SkullSatamon had called them "Digimon".

"Ten years? For your information - it has been eight years - eight long and very hard years, filled with suffering. Sometimes I wondered if I could even go on. My daughter! My only daughter! My only child - taken from me, never to be seen again!" sputtered Phelesmon, sounding very much offended.

Phelesmon's emotional correction did not seem to have much effect on the Digimon known as SkullSatamon, who merely looked bored. "You must forgive me, Phelesmon, if I am not up to date on the - date. But ever since, you've been coming to harass me constantly, picking up random Digimon on the street and accusing them with no proof whatsoever. And these Digimon here - why, I've never seen such pathetic creatures in my life!"

Takumi's fists clenched instinctively, but he realized he should not be offended - they were in another world now, and obviously they were not the most menacing of creatures.

SkullSatamon continued. "They don't look like they could harm a fly. When you find the _real _killers, come back here and talk to me. Now -"

"Killers? What -"  
"Oh, Phelesmon, why can't you accept the fact that your precious daughter was kidnaped, raped, and, once the case came out - disposed?"  
"Disposed?" He looked both angry, shocked, and sad. "You - you can't just make that assumption! You - you're the Chief Judge!"  
_Chief Judge?_ thought Takumi. _If that's true, and he's on our side, then we won't be jailed after all!_

"Exactly," replied SkullSatamon. "I'm the Chief Judge, and I see no reason in convicting these children of an ancient case."  
"Ancient?" Phelesmon babbled. "It's not that old! I've got the ones who did it right here!"

This statement made Takumi furious. How could someone accuse him of something with no proof?

"We didn't do it!" both Takumi, Ryota, and Shun shouted together.

"Quiet!" Phelesmon retorted. "You have no say in -"  
The Chief Judge made an interested noise. "Actually, I would like to let them talk. Let's hear what they have to say, shall we?"

"Fine," replied Phelesmon disappointedly. He crossed his arms and looked murderous in his long black cape. He knew that whatever the Genesis Team was going to say, it certainly wasn't going to help his case.

Ryota spoke up, glad to be able to talk without being assaulted by the perverted Vilemon. "We were just resting in a cave," he explained truthfully, "then this guy goes and picks us up and drags us here."  
SkullSatamon smirked. "More victims of Phelesmon's desperate nature and horribly embarrassing lack of detective skills."

"They did it! I am sure of it!" retorted Phelesmon, with an even harder slam on the Chief Judge's desk, which made the room shake. "Notice how they leave out the significant details - the part about them hiding from me after kidnaping my poor, defenseless daughter. Hiding in a _cave_! Does that remind you of anything, Judge?"

"I don't have the foggiest idea of what you're talking about - the cave?" There was a slight pause. "Good heavens, he was cleared years and years ago! Absolutely no evidence to convict him! Even back then you defended him. So who did it, Phelesmon? Was it him or these Digimon you have here?"

"Them!"

The humans all exchanged bewildered glances. This case evidently had a lot of back story that Phelesmon and SkullSatamon both didn't care to explain to them.

Phelesmon sneered. Then he peered down another hallway and shouted: "LadyDevimon! Get You-Know-Who's daughter's file!"

There was a sigh from the woman. Apparently, thought Takumi, all of SkullSatamon's secretaries despised Phelesmon and his case as well, and were familiar with it. Soon emerged a wickedly pretty lady with long, silvery hair. She had red, demonic eyes and was (scarcely) covered with black clothes.

"Her file, Sir," said the woman, handing a folder to the skeleton judge.

"Thank you," thanked the judge tiredly, mopping his masked forehead with his brow. As he fumbled through the folder's many papers, and pulled out a pair of reading glasses, the secretary remained by his desk. She gave Phelesmon a sympathetic, almost longing look.

"Well, what're you waiting for? Get back to work!" he demanded. And she walked away.

"Now - " He withdrew a paper from the file. "According to this paper, you have turned in no less than 328 Digimon in eight years, charged with this kidnaping, that have been proven innocent! What makes these particular Digimon any different?"

Phelesmon moved around uncomfortably. "Those - Digimon - were the wrong ones, I admit it. But I am equally confident that these are the true kidnappers!"  
"You have no right to do this!" Takumi shouted in rage. "We've never even heard of you! We don't even know your daughter's name - perhaps if you told us -"

"I don't need to tell you her name! You knew all about her, didn't you? You stalked her, then kidnaped her! And on her wedding night, too! I want her back, and I want _you all_ in jail!" He turned to the judge. "Mr. SkullSatamon?"  
The Chief Judge sighed and put his head in his arms. Then he looked at them all and explained: "I have no right to put these innocent little Digimon behind bars. The very idea that you should could to me with these charges is insanity. These Digimon are innocent, and I suggest you check into a mental asylum immediately. Case dismissed!"

"Oh really?" snarled Phelesmon. "You know, I really think you should be doing a better job at this, SkullSatamon. You wouldn't like me to go to the King, now, would you?" He made a nasty grin, and said nothing more, but evidently the Chief Judge understood what he was talking about, because at these words, he looked astounded and stuttered:  
"I - I -"  
Takumi and the rest of the group stood silent. Whoever this "King" was, he must be very powerful.

SkullSatamon seemed to be more stressed than ever. "Alright then," he agreed sadly.

"What's going on?" questioned a worried Yuka.

"I'm sorry, fellow Digimon," apologized the Judge, "but what I want to do and what I have to do are two very different things."  
"What does that mean?" asked Shun anxiously.

This was shortly answered when SkullSatamon reluctantly addressed the Angewomon. The judge opened a drawer and pulled from it a large, silver key. "Take these five," he ordered quietly, "to the torture chamber."

"Torture chamber?" shouted Takumi. "But you can't do this! We're innocent! You _know_ we're innocent!" His mind drifted to those court shows that his mother used to watch. Those two words, "I'm innocent", were always spoke by the person who was obviously guilty. The only difference here was, that in his heart, Takumi _knew_ that he and the rest of the group were innocent!

"Come along, now," said the Angewomon, looking more than a little frightened. Once they were out of earshot, she turned to them, looking frantic.

"You're all humans!"

"Yeah, that's right," said Reina, a little unexpectedly.

"My goodness, children - but why did they not recognize you? Am I dreaming?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Ryota. "Are there humans in this world?"

The Angewomon, however, seemed too frightened to answer. "Oh, this is awful. Humans!" She clasped a hand to her heart. "Now I know I must be dreaming. But why did they not recognize you? Am I going crazy?"

"You're not going crazy," said Ryota.

The Angewomon looked bewildered, terrified, and sorrowful all at once. "I'm sorry!" she said. "I'm so sorry! But I must do what I am told. I'm afraid I'm going to have to - lock - you - up!" And then she broke down and began to sob.  
"It's all right," said Takumi. "We'll be cleared, won't we?"  
"Yeah," put in Shun. "There's no evidence at all that we kidnaped his daughter."

"Oh no!" said Angewomon. "It's not that - oh, humans! Where have you been all this time? Were you hiding in a cave?"

"Yes," said Ryota truthfully.

"And the King never found you, never?" said the angelic Digimon between sobs.

"No," said Takumi. It seemed to be a bit of an odd question. "We only hid there yesterday."

"Oh, this is so strange!" said Angewomon. "This will be everywhere - everywhere - how did you do it, humans? How did you manage to avoid death?"

While they talked, both parties equally puzzled, they made their way down several hallways, down many, many flights of stairs, and finally down a dark, long hallway which seemed underground. At the end of this corridor was the dungeon.

"I'm afraid this will be the last we see of each other," said the Angewomon. "I have said too much. Please don't talk about me when they interview you. They will ask you lots of questions. Please, don't let them kill me!"

Takumi had never had such a strange mix of emotions in all his life, and for not a few seconds he wondered if _he _was the one dreaming. What in the world was she talking about?

Finally, they faced the dungeon. Many cells lined up, one on top of the other, like a zoo for Digimon. The jail room was hot and dark, and it seemed as though mold was growing on some of the cells. When the screams of tortured Digimon were not heard, a faint dripping noise came from somewhere, which was torture enough.

"I'm going to have to lock you up," said Angewomon with extreme remorse, locking them all grouped in a cell. "Good-bye, humans. I wish I could know more, but I must do my job or I will be killed. Good-bye now - good-bye!" And she walked away, looking behind her shoulder with a strange mix of wonder and fear. Her face then welled up with tears, and she ran up the stairway, leaving them alone.

Nerve-racking screams kept the Genesis Team awake for the remainder of the day. Takumi wondered when they were ever going to finish with the poor criminal Digimon.

"Just be glad you're not the one being tortured," pointed out Reina, and for this he was thankful.

The group was crouched down in the middle of the cell, all huddled together, most of them with their ears covered to protect themselves from all the racket caused by the tortured monster. Seconds later they took them out, for the screaming had ended and his torturer had left, but the criminal was howling more than ever.

"Finally," said a relieved Takumi, "I thought he would never be done."  
"Must be even more relieving for that Digimon over there." But this was not so; only minutes later the torturer returned. He grabbed the crying criminal by the hand and dragged him out, resulting in even louder screams and shouts than ever before. They disappeared down another door. The sounds of the tortured Digimon's screams could even be heard through the thick walls.

"I wonder what they're going to do with him," Ryota said aloud.

"Perhaps they're - freeing him?" stated Yuka unsurely.

The little girl was half right. A moment later they heard the sound of metal, blubbering from the tortured Digimon, a clanging of metal, commands from SkullSatamon, then -

_SWING._

The screaming ended.

At night, the screams of the tortured Digimon had faded away, the torturers having left them. Both them and the Genesis Team were able to get some rest. Dinner had already been served (bread and water), but it was scarcely enough to keep them satisfied. With five in the cell, they felt very cramped, making it take a while to get to sleep. As usual, Takumi was the last to get to sleep - mostly because Shun was sleeping on his knee. He thought back to the time when he had tried to go to bed early in order to be up and ready on exams, and had dived under his covers at seven-thirty, but did not get to sleep until shortly after eleven. But this was worse.

He tried, very hard, to think that he was in his room, back in his comfortable bed, with the fan blowing in the breeze. Unfortunately, this was equally difficult, because he was sleeping on a hard, stone floor and the only breeze came from Shun's loud snores.

After twenty minutes of trying the same method, Takumi just tried to close his eyes and feel really tired. This seemed to work, but five minutes after he had gotten comfortable, yet something else disturbed him.

"What is it now?" he said half-sleepily. Just as he uttered this, the sound of feet pacing the hard prison floor filled his alert ears. He bolted upright, trying to see where the sound was coming from. He looked around. Nothing. Just the pitch-black jailhouse at night. But he had _heard_ something.

He lay his head down, not wanting to ponder upon it anymore. _Perhaps I was dreaming,_ he thought to himself as he closed his eyes, but only fifteen seconds after he closed them, the pacing sound was heard again.

This time he sat up silently and stared. Another look around the jail again yielded nothing. Except -

"Shun!" he whispered, kicking the boy's head.

"Ow!"  
"Shhh! Not so loud! Look!"

"Huh?"

In the darkness, they both made out a womanish figure, standing three cells next to them, and trying, in vain, to disguise herself. Takumi and Shun didn't move. They stood, eyeing her, as she tip-toed down the cells until the figure walked right in front of their own cell. She held out a hand, holding a key, then -

_BRING._

She dropped the metal object to the floor, awakening those close to her. Within seconds, the group was staring at the figure as it fumbled around on the floor for the key, grabbed it, then inserted it into the lock.

_RU-HULL._

The barred door sprang open, shaking wildly. The figure motioned for them to step out.

Wondering what was going on, Takumi stepped out first, followed by Reina, Shun, Yuka, and Ryota. Though he was very close to her, the boy could still not make out the figure's face. But she held a finger to her mouth and motioned for them to follow her through a door next to their cell.

Obediently, the Genesis Team followed the tall figure, Takumi all the while trying to figure out who she was. But he had a guess.

The figure held open the door through them. What Takumi saw made him jump with joy. It was outside! Even though it was night and the crickets were chirping loudly, he never saw such a joyous sight. He could've hugged the female Digimon, whoever she was.

This time, Takumi was the last to go through the door. Before he went, however, he stared up at the tall woman's face.

"Angewomon?" he guessed quietly. "Thank you." He left through the door, looked up at the woman's face again, then departed along with his friends. Quietly, the female Digimon closed the door behind them.

Once more the Genesis Team stared up at the grand castle.


	26. The Hito Billboard

DISCLAIMER: This disclaimer, which is here to state "I do not own Digimon" is a figment of your imagination. It doesn't exist. You're only pretending to be reading it. If you are able to read this disclaimer, then you have serious mental problems and should be hospitalized immediately.

_Previously on Digimon Genesis!  
An old loony named Phelesmon picked up the Genesis Team from their cozy home in the caves and dragged them to a dark, creepy castle, where they were sent to jail! Luckily, a kindly woman freed them, and now they're back on the road to who-knows-where, with the clue that Mr. Hito may still be alive!  
  
_**DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER 26 **

THE HITO BILLBOARD  
  
Hiamon swerved to the left, narrowly avoiding a dark cloud. He was flapping his mighty wings, high in the sky, Kibamon on his back. This way and that he tilted his head, looking for any sign of a city below. Keen eyes traced many gray buildings below. His large red eyes widened with delight; he took off in a nose-dive to what may be a small town. Seeing a group member plunge below, his flying companions followed him.

Nose-dives were Hiamon's specialty, and he enjoyed making them, but for the friend on his back it was a perilous ride.

"Slow down! You're going to kill me!" the snow leopard shouted into the wind. A long scream followed, but the rush of air drowned it out.

The dragon Digimon slackened speed as he drew nearer the city, then he came to a stop. He landed vertically, allowing Kibamon to slide right off his bladed back.

After nearly breaking his neck, the snow leopard transformed back into a human and had a word with Takumi.

"You could've killed me! Are you crazy or something!?"  
"Well, that was a nice nose-dive," the boy mused, ignoring Ryota and stretching loudly.

Ryota sank to his knees in sheer amazement. "What's gotten into you? Have you gone mad?"

"Ah, it's nothing!" cried Takumi. "It's just - hope. Hope that my dad is still alive!" And he skipped light-heartedly off down the street.

"Idiot," Ryota muttered to himself, dusting off his well-worn jeans. "If he isn't careful he'll kill himself before he finds his dad, living or dead!" Getting up, he found himself in the middle of an empty town square. Beside him stood a large water fountain, which a blue bird was bathing in. Around him rose large buildings with many rectangular windows. The sky was still dark and did not look peaceful, but the village made up for it. Nearby lay a tall red bench, on which Ryota seated himself. Before he could even rest his eyes, Shun, Yuka, and Reina appeared, inquiring for Takumi.

"He's off in la-la land," was the response as Ryota laid his head back and closed his eyes. "I don't know which is worse: a happy Takumi or a depressed Takumi?"

"I hope his dad is still alive," said Yuka. "I hate seeing people depressed . . ."  
At that moment the same bird that had been bathing in the fountain dried off and landed on the red bench.

"Hi, little fella," said curly-haired Yuka. Seeing the invitation, the little feathered creature jumped up on the girl's shoulder.

"Hey, look, it likes you," grinned Reina.

Yuka smiled.

***

Meanwhile, Takumi was out enjoying himself, exploring the city, and turning the heads of the various town Digimon, whom he guessed had never laid eyes on a human before. There was something in the cool air that gave him the feeling of excitement. He felt so light-hearted that he took off his footwear and threw them in a gutter, then pranced about the village streets barefoot. But this proved foolish, for he stubbed his toe on an ill fit brick and had to rush back to fetch his socks and shoes.

After he had tied his right shoe, a low rumbling sound not unlike the one that had preceded Rhinomon's attack shook the village. A cry of alarm rose. From the top of the highest of the buildings (a clock tower about half the size of the Big Ben) there came a clanging of bells. Now the gaiety left Takumi, a feeling of fear flowed through his veins.

The Digimon whom had stared in wonderment at him now fled noisily, screaming and shouting, inside of the numerous buildings. The boy wondered if he should follow them, but then he remembered his friends. Running crookedly because of his missing shoe, he dashed down the street, turned a corner, turned right, turned another corner, then another, took a left, and found his friends huddled in a group. They did not look startled over the rumbling, nor the least bit worried. Digimon were still numerous among the roads there.

_Odd, _he thought, then sought his friends.

The same little blue bird that had perched on Yuka's shoulders had now become quite a vicious little beast, tugging and pulling at Yuka's new clothes. Her friends kept trying to lure the creature away, but Yuka took it good-naturedly and simply told the bird, "No, don't, little guy, you'll ruin my clothes."

Then, as though it could understand her, the bird took off in a frenzy of feathers, landing in a nearby tree. He remained there for a while, but Takumi was almost certain that it was spying on them through its cold, gray eyes.

It quickly became evident as to what caused the bird's sudden departure. The same rumbling noise that Takumi had heard earlier was being felt under their feet. The Genesis Team gasped as the source of the rumbling, a menacing behemoth of a monster, rose its ugly head over the buildings. Terrified Digimon stormed under shelter, few thinking about anything more than themselves, though one kind Digimon insisted that Takumi and his friends seek protection.

"You must hide, sirs!" squeaked the monster, a little pig Digimon, who was tugging at Takumi's shorts. "All is not well!" The group thanked him for the advice, but paid no attention to him as he disappeared through two large metal doors, leaving the group alone to confront the town's attacker.

"What do you think that thing is?" asked Reina, pointing at the Godzilla-like Digimon. It seemed like a dinosaur made of rocks, with a steel helmet. Smoke came from its backside. The rocks were bound with rope.

"Golemon," read Takumi after taking out his D-Pendulum, "champion level, virus type. His special attack is Rock Punch."  
"A champion?" said Ryota, as if it were ridiculous, "we can all go to champion. C'mon, everyone, let's rock!"

Takumi did not like Ryota's overconfidence (or his bad joke) but as his friend imagined, the battle was over quickly.

"Transform! HIAMON!"  
"Transform! KIBAMON!"  
"Transform! MEKANORIMON!"  
"Transform! MIKEMON!"  
"Transform! SURAIIMON!"

Hiamon flew in the air, Kibamon jumped on Hiamon, Suraiimon galloped on Kibamon, Mikemon hopped on Suraiimon, and Mekanorimon, best he could, hovered over the rock puppet Digimon.

"Flame Rain!" shouted Hiamon.

The flares bounced off Golemon's rock-solid body, but the rocks weren't his target. The hot fire quickly enveloped the ropes, snapping them, and forcing the Golemon to move uncontrollably.

"Arctic Arrow!" A freezing attack emitted from Kibamon's mouth, practically transforming the enemy into an ice cube. There he stood, frozen in place, but eventually the attack wore off. Unable to maintain control of his huge body, Golemon smashed his abominable fist into a brick building. A storm of bricks beat down on the unlucky town, but fortunately the townsfolk, hidden away under shelter, were unhurt.

Narrowly avoiding an oncoming brick, Mekanorimon reared his steel body and said, in a robotic voice: "Twin Beam!"  
Vacuum blades sizzled out of the gray vehicle Digimon's arms and hit the enemy square on the forehead.

"He's going to have a nasty headache!" quipped Hiamon.

Golemon, however, was not laughing. After being scorched, frozen, and re-scorched, the now ashen-faced Golemon looked ill fit to battle, leaving the two female Digimon to finish him off with their knife-like claws.

"Cat Claw!"

Mikemon darted here and there, throwing her nails on every party of the rock monster's body. _SHPING!_ When she was finished, the feline glided to the ground and licked her paws, leaving a very scarred and awe-struck Golemon gaping at her through his steel helmet.

His pride lost at being beaten by a girl, it is not surprising that he got extremely mad. Even though he was experiencing pain beyond pain, he stood tall. Like a gorilla, he beat his fists on his chests, as if to say, "Bring it on!"

To Golemon's misfortune, he got more that what he wanted.

Suraiimon ran at a start, then glided into the air, her elegant body magnificent in the wind. She attached herself to a startled Golemon, who started moving around wildly. With some trouble, the fox Digimon sprang to his backside.

Seeing his chance, the rock Digimon utilized his attack:  
"Rock Punch!"

Tiny jets of purple gas came from small holes in Golemon's back. Usually a monster on his back would be fired far away, but using all her fox-like cunning, Suraiimon had latched herself on hard and would not let go. More jets of gas came, but they were not of use.

When Golemon saw that his attempts were futile, he tried to swat her off like a flea on a dog, but Suraiimon had cleverly climbed to the part of his back that he couldn't reach.

Then, with impressive agility, she used her Season Nail technique, which fired her claws, like bullets, to one of the large holes on Golemon's back. The force made the puppet rock stand upright. He used his Rock Punch attack to sweep away the irritation, but shock took him. His attack wasn't firing!

Not knowing what to do, Golemon stood there stupidly.

_This is it,_ Suraiimon thought, feeling her outstretched arm. _Go!_ In an instant, the fox Digimon retracted her claws, just as she felt a rumbling beneath her feet.

_BOOM!_

Suraiimon leapt out of the way of the explosion just in time, and she landed, fox-like, on the ground, showing no signs of weakness or exhaustion, thought Takumi was sure that she felt it.

A purple cloud from the explosion came, showing no signs of Golemon at all. The pollution blurred Hiamon's vision for a bit, but it quickly rose into the heavens and disappeared.

"What - happened?" asked a coughing Shun after they had all transformed back into humans.

"It was just gas!" laughed Reina. "Seriously, though - I wondered what would happen if all the gas built up inside of his body. When it did - BOOM! No more Golemon!"  
"Only a brilliant mind could think up something like that," praised Takumi. Reina turned to him and smiled; he could tell they were on good terms again.

Shun smirked and in a trice was at the girl's feet, imitating Takumi.

"Why, Reina, _brilliant_ plan! I can't believe that you thought of something that good! I'm impressed. Reina, you're so smart, I would like - UGH!"

Takumi tackled him to the ground and nearly choked the eighth grader to death, squeezing his throat and jerking him to the ground. His friends, startled by the sudden violence, almost thought Shun had died. Yuka attempted to get him off the ground, but both the assault and the attempt ceased when curious Digimon departed, one by one, from their shelters. All had striking features - some looked like they could swim, some looked like they were more adequate at flying. Others, such as a small yellow Digimon who resembled feces, didn't look like they could do anything at all. Some towered over the humans, and others shrank down to their knees.

It took a while for the Genesis Team to realize that they were the center of attention. Wide-eyed with astonishment, the Digimon examined them like they were mighty kings.

"Them! They were the ones who defeated Golemon!" it was the voice of the pig Digimon. Then came another voice, this time belonging to a rodent with grinning balloons:  
"Our saviors!"  
At these words, the stunned Digimon became laden with joy. Before the Genesis Team realized what was going on, a small parade issued.

"Whoa!"  
Takumi felt himself being grabbed by many little monsters, then, with a sudden burst of strength, they lifted him and his friends up into the air. Feeling like a star athlete, Takumi grinned over the parading Digimon's heads.

"Our saviors!" they all chorused again, throwing them all into the air. Takumi landed on many outstretched hands, feeling dazed but excited.

"The ones who saved our city from the wild Digimon!"  
"Golemon no more! And to think I once tried to stop them from fighting!" squealed the little pig Digimon, who danced around Yuka and Reina joyfully.

"Our saviors!" shouted a red and blue rabbit Digimon with a tufted tail. Then over the roars of the crowd, he yelled: "To the Elder!"

"To the Elder!" chorused the townsfolk, and, the group literally in their hands, they marched down the street. Over the heads of many cheering Digimon Takumi spied quaint shops, long, dirt roads, even more fountain, and inns. At last they came to a luxurious house, covered in the shade of abundant trees. Engraved in gold on its large wooden door were the words:

THE HOUSE OF SABERLEOMON

THE ELDEST OF CIVIL CITY

The parade marched up the mansion's large stone steps, rapped on the door, and waited. Several minutes passed, and a butler Digimon with a body of gray minerals and a top hat answered the door, and was very much surprised to open it to what he later described as a "mad army". Not caring for an invitation, the "army" stormed into the Elder's home, cheering and roaring as loud as ever, past the confused butler and down a long hallway in a house which seemed even greater than a palace. Takumi wondered who owned it, but even more why he was there in the first place.

Sure, they had slain the wild Golemon, but this certainly wasn't the harsh welcome that he had expected after what Lillymon had told them. He thought back to that hopeless hour in jail in the mysterious Demon Palace, when they had been warned that humans were "bad".

_Could this be a trap?_ thought Takumi wildly as the cheering townspeople began to carry him up a long flight of stairs. Perhaps this "Elder" was really an executioner? Nervously, he peered down at the parade's cheerful faces. He himself had experience with concealing a motive, but the Digimon's smiling faces told all. _No fake, _he concluded, _can be as good as actor as that._

"Ow!" cried Shun, tumbling down the stairs and landing with an echoing thud. The townsfolk carrying him could not support his weight (which was much) and had dropped him. Astonished, one Digimon dashed down the stairs, shouting, "Don't worry, we'll save you, savior!"  
Being the lightweight that he was, Takumi had no worries of being dropped. The proud Digimon parading with him on their shoulders were doing their jobs quite well. With a surprisingly good turn, the Digimon and their savior marched down a long hallway, its walls covered with portraits of powerful monsters and brilliant paintings of bloody war battles. Through a door, up another flight of stairs they carried him. He looked out of place, being paraded around like a star athlete inside of a mansion that would be fit for a snobbish aristocrat like Phelesmon. He felt even more embarrassed when they came to two large red doors, with golden knobs and stained glass windows. Stationed outside were two guards, each wearing a large red hat. They were not the robotic Digimon that protected the Demon Palace, they were very much alive. Both resembled apes, except for the shaggy yellow fur that stuck out like needles on their bodies.

"Your permission to enter is granted," grunted one of them. Both stepped to the side after opening the doors with their strong arms and allowed them access.

Takumi did not wonder for long what was in the guarded room. As the group partied in, he saw that he had made no mistake. This was the dwelling place of the respected Elder - whoever he was.

Perched upon what seemed like stairs that had been detached from the floor sat a great lion. Awoken by the slamming of the door, he shook his yellow and red mane and stretched his arms. He had two tusks. His eyes were weak, but nonetheless he sat on the top of the stairs and awaited the newcomers. 

Aghast by the impressive animal, Takumi barely felt himself being gently dropped onto the floor, and hardly noticed the others had entered as well (but he did see that Shun was standing). So engrossed in the Edler's twin fangs was Takumi that he was completely unaware that the rest of the room were kneeling. After a few seconds, he turned red and he too fell to his knees and heard the town Digimon chant:  
"We stand in your prescence, O honorable Elder. Please, offer us your wisdom and power. May the rest of your years be many."  
The Elder stared around at the large group before him. With a tired growl, he returned:  
"And to you as well."

Takumi opened his eyes, stood up, and dusted off his clothes, along with the other Digimon. They stood in front of SaberLeomon's platform and looked to him as though he was a great power - and he was.

"What do you present to me tonight, my children?" he asked quietly.

A Digimon known as Otamamon stood in front of the crowd and announced fearlessly to the Elder: "We come to you tonight to present to you the ones who saved this city from attack from the wild Golemon. They are part-human, part-Digimon. They are our saviors - _the _saviors!"

Before now, the Elder seemed quite bored, as if he had seen everything there was to see. It reminded Takumi of his old cat, Barbara. Mrs. Hito had fished him out of a center for ill-treated animals. Takumi loved the pet, but it was so unamused with the Hito home that it ran away after a week. The Elder had been the same way, but now he cropped up his head and almost opened his ancient eyes. Takumi could now tell that news like this was very unusual.

"Present them to me. I would like to see them for myself," he said slowly, then added, ". . . that is, if they _are _the saviors . . ."  
Takumi gulped. The Elder had said these last words strictly. He was sure that the ancient cat would be quite angry if they weren't the real "saviors" - and Takumi was sure that they weren't. It did make him a little happier, though, that Reina's faced expressed the same fear.

"These are them, Your Eldest," and the Otamamon motioned for the humans to come out. Takumi, Ryota, Shun, Yuka, and Reina stepped from the groups of their supporters and nervously faced the Elder, who seemed, as Takumi feared, to be unimpressed. Takumi couldn't blame him, short, skinny Takumi and friends didn't look like they could save anything.

"So there are five, then," said the Elder, looking disappointing. "Five is . . . An unassuming number. Surely there aren't six or seven of you?"

Even Ryota was afraid. "Umm . . . There were," he said.

"_Were!?" _said the Elder, shaking his head like this was ridiculous. "No, no . . . this will not do at all. The saviors shall be a great and powerful - yes, the prophecies say that they will be half-human, half-Digimon, but . . . They will be like gods. Why, if you were the saviors, then -" But he said no more, because he was interrupted, something that had never happened to him in all his days as Elder. The Digimon gasped astonishingly at the one who cut him short. It was Yuka, who possessed a courage that no one else around her had.

"Excuse me, sir," she said politely, "but we're just humans who just got here. We know nothing of this world or its inhabitants. Could you kindly explain to us all . . . Just who are these "saviors"?"

The Elder had opened his mouth in astonishment. This little human girl, interrupting him? But he nodded and agreed to tell the story:  
"Alright then," he began, his weary eyes staring into the black-haired girl's young pupils. "I will tell you the story that every Digimon in this town has heard many times before . . . The story of our world . . ."  
The Genesis Team stood intently, ready to hang on to every word that the wise old elder had to say. The Digimon also listened with interest, although they knew the story by heart. Digimon have a passion for stories, particularly the ones they have heard a thousand times before.

Once the Elder saw that everyone had gathered around and was paying attention, he cleared his throat and began the ancient tale. "Our story takes place over two thousand years ago, in this very land . . . In a world that is not very different from our current one - except for the facts that there was no king, no government . . . Only wild Digimon existed. Monsters were bred to be strong. The weak never survived. The world was evil. But there were twelve Digimon, all of whom had attained the highest level of digivolution, that sought to change the world." The Elder looked down at the Genesis Team. "They built cities and civilized Digimon, and defeating those who threatened the peace."  
"But the Twelve knew that the peace they had brought would not last forever. They prophecied that evil would rear its ugly head again, and this evil would be even greater than the past evil, and that the savior . . . Or, the saviors . . . Would be greater than the Twelve themselves. They predicted that the saviors would be part-Digimon, and part of another race . . . Quite an extraordinary prediction, as other races did not exist in the Digital World back then."

Takumi sighed. He had now convinced himself that he was indeed one of the saviors. If only he could convince the Elder . . .

"But sir," asked Takumi, "don't you think that we qualify as the saviors? I mean . . . heck, we must be the only human-Digimon combos in _any _world! Sir? . . . Sir?"

The Elder sighed, all the eyes in the room set on him. "This is the darkest age of our world yet. And though you may be part-Digimon, I'm sorry . . . But you are not the saviors."  
At these words, Takumi was beginning to get a little frustrated. "Why can't you accept us?" he demanded, nearly banging his fists on the Elder's stupid platform. "You don't have any reason to not -"

"Takumi!" snapped Ryota, who loked just as furious at Takumi as Takumi had been at the Elder. "If he doesn't want to belive we're the saviors, then he doesn't have to! Stop being so demanding!"  
Takumi could have easily shouted the same thing back to Ryota, but he accepted defeat and took his seat on the dusty floor with the other Digimon.

"That is alright, my friend," said the Elder after Takumi apologized, though he didn't look much like a friend, "I have my own reasons for not believing that you are the saviors . . . But if you have any more questions for me, ask away!"  
Before Takumi could even open his mouth, Reina asked the very question he wanted answered.

"We're looking for a man named Kairu Hito - do you have any idea where he may be? Or perhaps, a place where there are lots of humans?"  
The Elder's weary face looked grave. He cocked his head questioningly. "A man? You mean, a human?"  
Every Digimon in the room started muttering. They seemed curious, but their eyes told Takumi that they were expressing more: As though what they had just heard was something unbelievable.

"If you are to know where the humans are, I shall tell you," said the Elder loudly. "However . . . To fully understand Digimon and their attitude towards humans, and your position in our world, then I must treat you with a little history."  
The muttering ceased the room grew quiet at this announcement. When everything was silent, the Elder took in a depp breath and said:  
"What I am about to tell you is a record of the humans and their travels to the Digital World, passed on from humans from generation to generation:  
"About 400 years ago, humans set off on an expedition to a new land. The adventurers consisted of men and women, little boy humans and little girl humans. When they reached this new land, they found it now as peacefull as they had imagined. They were constantly threatened by starvation and the fearsome natives that lived there."

"There was little hope for survival. But, as luck would have it, a portal to our world opened up in that new land. After a successful journey to this world and back again, the whole group decided to use the gate - in hopes that this world would offer a better chance of survival."  
The Elder sighed. "For a time, their hope was a reality. The native Digimon they met were curious at the humans and proud to host them in their towns. But, as always happens when they is diversity, some Digimon grew prejudiced against the humans. Finally, a great war broke out over disagreements about the humans - a war that changed digital history."  
"Those who wanted humans treated equally were called vaccine types. Those who opposed the humans were called viruses. Some remained neutral, and they earned the titles of the "datas".

"After long and bloody fighting, the vaccines finally won the war. But still, many humans were killed by the viruses, and, as a result, new prejudices opened up against all types. And still, there was opposition of the humans . . ." He let out a deep sigh.

"Why were the humans oppressed?" asked Takumi.

Suddenly it occurred to him that he had interrupted, but the Elder seemed to have adjusted quickly to the inexcusable rudeness of his guests.

"Humans do not like to hear this tale," the Elder warned, "but it is the truth: Our world is perfect." He received some strange looks from the Genesis Team. "Oh, how should I explain this?" He looked more weary than ever as he tried to explain. "Our world - in almost every way - is perfect. Meaning: There is no population explosion, widespread starvation, or pollution - as what I've heard exists in your world. This is because our world is regulated by various computers. Shall a Digimon die, a computer will take the lost data and place it inside a DigiEgg. Though it is not reincarnation, it is a recycling of data. Therefore, the population of our current world is the exact same as it was when this world began. The land is also controlled by computers, and the computers created just enough crops to support the monsters living in an area. However, with humans . . ." He lifted his eyebrows, "They have different means of reproduction. Two humans could produce many, many, many children. And those children could also produce many, many children . . ."  
"So?" said Shun.

"'So?' 'SO?' DEAR BOY, HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND? HAVE YOU BEEN LISTENING TO ANYTHING I'VE JUST BEEN TELLING YOU?" The Elder howled at Shun, nearly literally biting his head off and sending the eighth grader to the floor in fright.

When that problem was over, the Elder cleared his throat and pretended as though nothing had happened.

"Now - umm, what was I saying? Oh yes! Yes . . . You see, because of the uncontrolled human population . . ."  
Takumi perked his eyebrows. "That's it? That's why a war started?! All because of increasing populations!?"

"No . . . things, I am afraid, are far more complicated than that . . . You see, Digimon would have to forfeit some of their meals for the humans - things that the "perfect" computers didn't account for. And, as you might guess, many Digimon were unhappy about that. Secondly, humans have brought with them religions that were the subject of controversy among us Digimon. As a result, humans have been tortured almost immediately after their arrival to this world . . ."

"But what about my dad?" asked Takumi. "I mean, he wasn't descended from those people . . . He came from our world . . . _my _world, I mean."  
"It appears that he found a different portal," explained the Elder. "Though newcomers, as we call them - are extremely rare."

"Well, my dad's extraordinary," Takumi said swiftly.

The Elder sighed yet again. "In that case . . . I think we may have some clue as to what happened to your father - right in this very city."  
"What!?"  
The Elder nodded. "But now, I propose that you all trot off to bed."  
"What!?" was repeated. Unable to distinguish night from day because of the all-time darkness, Takumi was mortified that it was already time for bed. 

"But - but I have another question -" cried Takumi.

The Elder shook his head. "Question scan wait, but sleep cannot. I am 356 years old, and I need my sleep too! Now -" He peered down off his platform at the ape-guard. "Apemon, place these humans all in the guest room for tonight - that's right, you're sleeping in _my _house tonight! You other Digimon - it is time for rest! Good-bye!" And for a moment Takumi thought that the Elder himself would collapse on his platform.

The Digimon bowed to the Elder, then saluted Takumi and the humans as they left the Elder's room. Questions raged in Takumi's mind as they followed Apemon down the long corridor. Why was it always dark? What clue did the city hold? Why was the Elder such a doubter?  
Finally they reached a large wooden door. Apemon drew a key from somewhere (though Takumi did not prefer to know exactly where) and inserted it into the lock. With some difficulty, he pushed open the door and led them in. The first thing Takumi noticed was that five blankets were spread out on the floor, but besides that there was a small desk on which to put things.

"Er - where are the beds?" asked Shun, after Ryota leaped into the blankets and nearly broke his leg.

"Beds?" said the ape. "Those are beds!" He pointed to the blankets on the floor as though it were obvious.

Shun looked flabbergasted. "On the floor?"  
The Digimon scowled. "_Digimon _are quite content at sleeping on the floor! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some business I have to attend to - and remember, if you have any problems with sleeping on the floor, you're welcome to sleep outside with the dogs!" And he slammed the door in their faces.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I think that guy was very rude!" declared Shun, crossing his arms.

"Oh, come on, everyone, the beds are actually quite nice," said Reina, who plopped down on the bed right beside Takumi.

Shun groaned, but sank down onto his pillow. He complained about the floor for a while, but personally, Takumi had never seen him more comfortable. In less than five minutes, the eighth grader had shut his eyes and lay peacefully in his blanket (dreaming of birds).

Ryota had taken the last bed, with Yuka in between him and Shun. The girl stared up into the ceiling. Takumi could relate to her: She, like him, probably had many unanswered questions floating around in her mind.

_She's so quiet,_ thought Takumi. _Iwonder why._

On his other sided, Reina was also having difficulty falling asleep. He wondered how she was adjusting to this new world and new life, but after the thought, he felt rather guilty.

Reina noticed him and turned on her side.

"I'm sorry," he said automatically.

"Sorry? For what?" she whispered, as though she had no idea of what he was talking about.

"Sorry for dragging you here. If there was a way to get you back home, I would -"

"You don't need to be sorry. It's me who should be apologizing."  
"Apologizing?"  
"You know. What I said two nights ago. I - I just lost my temper. I've been acting very immature lately."  
Takumi closed his eyes. "No, it's me who's been immature. I'm so, so sorry for what I've done . . ."  
Reina turned over on her back. "Don't worry about it. What's done is done. You can't change the past." 

The boy sighed. "But I sure wish I could."  
There was silence for a moment as Takumi gazed up at the ceiling. "I wonder if my dad was ever in this town," he said suddenly.

"Your dad?" Reina turned over again. "Yeah . . ."  
Takumi expressed his thoughts loudly. "I remember when I was little - and my mom said to me something like 'daddy's not coming home'. I wondered why. His death never really sank in, so ever since I was a small boy I wondered where my dad was - I mean - this might sound silly, but -"  
"Go on."

"I don't know . . . I, like, knew he was dead, but . . . It was like I felt he was still here . . . Still alive . . . And I still think that - but - now I'm sure of it. Something tells me, something that my mind thinks illogical but my heart knows it's true . . . My dad has to be alive! Maybe he's no even far from here . . ."

"Mmm."

"I mean . . . what if he was here a few days ago! What if I meet him on the streets! Alive! And then I would smile and as k -"  
Then, another voice spoke, suddenly louder than his own and irritated. It was Shun.

"WILL YOU TWO BE QUIET AND GET TO BED! SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO _SLEEP!_"

And, obediently, Takumi stopped talking to Reina and was left to his own thoughts down under the covers. Soon, he was asleep.

***

Takumi was one of those few lucky people who could eat and eat and eat but never gain a pound. So of course, Takumi made use of his skill at every opportunity. He often had large quantities of snacks before bed. This usually resulted in some wild and fantastic dreams. This day, however, he had gone without food - which is probably why he dreamed the dream he had this night as a prophetic vision.

He had been sleeping under the covers when he heard a sound like the wind. When he opened his eyes, his father was in front of him, his body blurry and pearly-white, like a ghost. He spoke in a misty voice, saying: "Takumi . . . He's here . . . Takumi . . . He's here . . ." And then he faded away, Takumi made a cry and grasped at his clothes, but he was gone.

"No!"

Takumi jereked awake, breathing rapidly, waking up his friends as well. Just now realizing that it had all been a dream, Takumi sat up, embarrassed, the group looking up at him from their blankets.

"Umm . . . Sorry," he gasped. "Just had . . . A bad . . . Dream, that's all . . . I -"

"Don't worry about it," said Shun. "I just had a dream about a witch!" 

Witches . . . Ghosts! His dad in his dream! Then the dream came back to him, fully formed. He choked out:  
"My dad! He's here! He's here!"

Now everyone was looking up at him with puzzled expressions as though he was crazy.

"Uh - your dad?" said Shun. "Umm - just what are you talking about, Takumi?"  
"He was here!" he shouted wildly, breathing hard. "Or . . . At least I think he was. He spoke to me. In a dream."  
What Shun was expecting, it wasn't that. Takumi could hear his jaw dropping to the floor, and he had the feeling that he was being observed by his friends like a monkey in a cage.

"I'm telling the truth!" he shouted in his insecurity.

"We believe you, Takumi," said Reina, but she sounded strangely as though she didn't. "It's just - it sounds so _wild._"

"Wild!?" he shouted. "It's not wild at all! It all fits! He's never came to me in a dream before . . . I think it's a sign . . . He was saying, 'he's here, he's here' . . . Who's here? My dad! He's somewhere around here, I just know it."

Ryota looked as confused as ever. "But Takumi . . . If he was referring to himself, why didn't he say, 'I'm here, I'm here'?" The others nodded in agreement, though Takumi couldn't see them in the darkness.

He opened his mouth to talk, but he found their doubt so disgusting that he sighed into his pillow and shut his eyes.

"Takumi," said Reina, "we believe you, okay? But according to my D-Pendulum, it's only a little after midnight. We'll have time to search all over for your dad tomorrow. But right now, we need to get some sleep."  
Takumi didn't reply. Always he thought his friends would be supportive of him, but he supposed that they couldn't trust in something that they hadn't seen. Feeling frustrated and anxious, he pulled the covers over himself and slept. He much desired to have the dream again, just to see his father again - but for the remainder of the night he had a dreamless sleep.

***

Takumi woke up early the next morning, before any of the rest of the group. There was no early morning sun to greet him, but birds still sung and still he felt that because it was daytime at last, nothing could dampen his spirits. He was in a much better mood than the previous night, which he assumed had been the result of high anxiety. He still felt anxious, but in an excited way, one that even made him cheer his friends to get up.

"C'mon up, Shun! You won't wake up if you don't force yourself! Reina, Reina - get up! It's finally morning! Ryota, get those covers off you!"  
Ryota mumbled in his sleep, then opened his eyes. "Morning already?" he groaned as he stretched. 

"Already?! It semms like I've slept for weeks! I'm completely re-energized!"  
"That's obvious," mutterd Ryota, almost stepping on Yuka's head in order to retrieve his D-Pendulum from the desk. "6:15!" he gasped. "No wonder I'm so tired! We've only been asleep for five hours!"  
Takumi shook his head. "Five hours is enough, I think. If I were -"  
_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK._

"Someone's knocking on the door," stated a now-awake Yuka.

"Who could it be at this atrocious hour?" wondered Ryota. He let out a loud cry as Takumi rushed past him at top speed, yelling:  
"I'll get it!" 

He was at the door three seconds after the rapping. He turned the doorknob and found himself face-to-face with the same hairy Apemon who had led them to their room the night before. Perhaps it was just the early morning air, but Takumi noticed that he seemed a lot more pleasant than their last meeting.

"Good morning!" he greeted, putting his bone aside. Apparently he had been rapping on the door with it. He stepped inside their room and gazed at the D-Pendulums on the desk. "Doing alright?" he asked.

"Just fine, thank you!" was the reply.

"Good." He grinned a mouthful of yellow teeth. "At the Elder's request, you are to join him at breakfast at 7:00. There will be all sorts of appetizing food there. He wants you there on time so he can take you on a tour around the city. We hope to see you soon!" A now wide-awake Shun was about to ask what would be on the breakfast menu, but before he could do so the Apemon bowed and departed. Takumi shut the door, after wishing the messenger a good-bye.

He spun around, his face lit with excitement. "Breakfast with the Elder! A tour of the city! What an honor!"  
Ryota, however, was not as enthusiastic. "That Apemon sure looked much happier than last time," he observed, his left hand to his chin. "Maybe the Elder wants to poison us and let us die, to prove that we're not the saviors."  
Reina laughed. "Or maybe the words 'join him at breakfast' mean something else entirely!" she joked. "C'mon, Ryota, lighten up! I really don't think he'd do _that!"_

But Ryota remained in doubt.

***

Towards the end of breakfast, however, Reina seemed closer to the truth. They had been served with crackers, apples, bananas, bread, toast, plums, and a digital delicacy that Ryota thought looked like "maggots shrouded in applesauce". It was actually _malalimento, _fried noodles covered in a sticky pink sauce that the Digimon referred to as _mojadopar._ Only Shun had courage enough to try it, and when he encouraged others to try it as well, he received crazy looks from everyone in return, even from the cheerful-faced Takumi.

At the table were seated many guests, some the Elder's servants, and others important townsfolk. After finishing his breakfast, Takumi listened excitedly to a flaming Digimon speaking to the Elder about a magical seed that could make Digimon more powerful. Takumi could hardly wait to be taken on a tour of the city and to find the clue of his father that the Elder had mentioned, and the Elder seemed to sense his eagerness.

"Well, Meramon," he said, standing up, about to end the conversation, "I doubt he'll find it. It's very well hidden, I'm sure, and if you're worried, well . . . we'll just have to hope for the best." After dismissing his fiery friend, the great lion turned to the children and beamed. Although he would still not admit that they were the saviors, he still regarded them in a special light. "Ah, finished your breakfasts, I see!" he said proudly. "Oh, Dinohumon!" He beckoned a servant. "Collect these plates, and remember to wash them - no, with the sink, blast it! Ooh, you are an extraordinarily gross gentleman, I'll have to halve your wages - no, wait, you're fired! Good day to you!" He then summoned a much shorter servant with a samurai helmet. "Kotemon - collect those plates, and be sure to get that yellowish stain off that one! It won't come off? Then throw it away." He sighed, then remembered his guests. "Ah - sorry to keep you waiting!" he grinned through his long tusks.

Unable to conceal his anxiety, Takumi asked, "So, when are we going to go get a tour of the city?"  
The Elder laughed as he jumped off his chair and to his feet. "Bit eager, aren't you? You remind me of my own children when they were young!" He let out a hearty laugh but promised to begin the tour as soon as possible. Then he left the room.

Minutes later, he returned carrying a brown basket in his mouth, which he dropped in Shun's hands. "Lunch," he explained, "for after the tour. I know a wonderful picnic spot!"  
"Shall we have lunch before or after we find the thing you were talking about yesterday night?" asked Takumi.

The Elder looked puzzled.

"You know - the 'clue' you were talking about for my dad?"

The ancient Digimon squinted his eyes, then laughed suddenly: "Oh yeah! I had clean forgot about that. Before or after lunch? Which would you prefer?"

"Definitely before lunch," Takumi said immediately, much to Shun's disgust.

"He's been bugging us about that since last night!" he stammered.

"Yes," said the Elder, "and I sahn't like to keep him waiting."  
Shun mumbled, but the decision remained unaltered. 

"I can't wait that long!" he complained still.

"Shun, you just had breakfast!" said Reina.

Shun continued to groan, but luckily he soon forgot all about his hunger. The tour, which the Elder himself as their guide, was delightful, and Shun much desired to make a painting of Civil City (as the town was called). Throughout the trip, he rested on the red benches that lined the walkways and attempted to recapture the tall, sturdy structures, the inhabitants, and the cool fountains, but he found that he was holding up the tour, and consequently was forced to put his painting away.

"The town earned its name because it was one of the first cities in this world. Since then, it has been under attack from many wild Digimon - not that most of its inhabitants aren't wild enough," he said with a grin. "Ah, look! There's little Otamamon, making bubbles fly in the street, oh, and wave to Meramon! Wait a minute, don't, actually, he might spot me." The Elder, not without reason, picked up the pace, and narrowly avoided speaking with the fiery Digimon again.

The splendid tour only made Takumi more anxious than ever. After they had been shown the Dimensional Affairs building, Takumi was about to ask when they were going to find the 'clue' but was surprised to find that the Elder was leading them to the place already.

"It's a small building," the Elder explained, pointing (as best as he could) to a tiny brown building with a slated roof and no doors. "It's the Human Slaughter Veterans Memorial."  
The words struck Takumi like a lightning bolt. He paused in his tracks, and when he could speak to the Elder he said: "Human - Slaughter!? - Memorial!?" Feeling as though his stomach had been relocated to his neck, Takumi followed Yuka and the others to a small room with entrances that led outdoors on each side. There was an intense burning pain in his mouth. Could it be that his father was really dead after all?  
_No,_ thought Takumi, _impossible. It all points to him being alive . . . the dream . . ._

But in the back of his head spoke a voice that said clearly _You're in denial._

Already tears were beginning to flood his eyes. _He has to be alive. He can't be dead,_ he thought. But the voice in the back of his head was overpowering him.

_It's not good to live by blind hope, _it said.

He wiped the tears from his eyes quickly and shut his mouth to suppress the fire-like pain, but latter was of no use, now his heart stung with agony.

Trying to look unphased, he followed his friends inside the little room. Lining its walls were black boards, engraved with many names. In gold across the top of the billboard lay the words:

IN MEMORY OF THE VICTIMS IN  
_FIRST_  
SLAUGHTER OF THE HUMANS

The Genesis Team gazed around at the names, except for Takumi. _Don't look,_ he told himself, _it's better to be ignorant and not know anything at all than to find out that he's dead._

The Elder shook his head sadly at the names. "The First Slaughter," he exclaimed, was a great and terrible way in which to dispose of all humans. The king devised the plan himself. His soldiers attacked cities and sent humans to death camps. He then poisoned the air of hte camps and left them to die. This very city was attacked, in fact," he added. "Dark days. So many Digimon and humans were killed in battle. The Digimon tried in vain to protect the humans, and they were killed. The humans suffered the worst." He peered down at the names. "Arthur Dare . . . truly a great man. Killed by being led away to death camps. He would not accept a life without freedom. Perceval Payne . . . he hid for a while in this city, but the king's soldiers got to him. Akiji Smith, only a young man . . . sent to death camps to die." He scanned the board. "Methuselah White - old man, he was, but didn't let age take him. He tried to resist the king's forces, but was killed in the end." He sighed. "I remember these people . . . they were my friends."  
A slaughter? Death camps? Attacks on cities? These facts rang through Takumi's mind like a siren, a siren that wouldn't stop ringing. Even before he spotted the name KAIRU HITO on the billboard, he knew that his father was dead. He saw some of his dad's friend's names on the board too, but it didn't matter . . . his dad was dead!

The tears that he had been blocking fell from his eyes like a faucet. He moaned in sorrow, and it didn't take long for his friends to figure out what was wrong. For they had found the name not long after. They watched him sympathetically, but they did not say anything.

Takumi did not feel embarrased for crying in front of them; he had the right to cry. He had the right to do anything he wanted, for had not he been the one who had lost a loved one?

Reina was the first to comfort him, or at least to attempt to comfort him. "Don't feel sad, Takumi," she said, "I never knew my grandmother, and I feel sad. I mean . . . you're not alone."

But her words did not help him at all, rather it made him sick with more sorrow, and she seemed to realize it; she did not attempt to comfort him again.

His dad . . . dead. And he had been so hopeful. Was hope nothing? What about the dream? His father had came to him - then he understood. He had only had the dream just to torment himself, to raise his hopes, only to have them sink to the bottom.

The Elder was probably the least helpful. He seemed unphased, as though the death of his father had meant nothing - and he had just been talking about his own stupid friends who had died. _Those stupid people, _Takumi thought, _just who the hell was Methuselah White? He didn't matter, only my dad . . ._

"Everyone is sad about the slaughter, and wished it hadn't happened," he said very casually, as though death were a trivial matter, "don't feel bad, my own sons were killed in an earlier war . . ."  
Takumi could not take this. He was being treated like a child, the last thing he needed was comforting . . . he could no longer control his anger . . .

"SHUT UP!" he retorted, surprising the Elder and his friends. "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING, YOU'RE JUST A FAT, STUPID LION -"  
Yuka covered her mouth, the Elder looked horrified, and the rest of the group froze in their tracks. Only Shun had the courage to explain to the Elder.

"Please excuse him, Elder, he was just so hopeful that his dad was alive . . ." The great lion seemed not to hear. Never in all his days of Elder had he been shouted at, by human or Digimon. And Takumi was only getting angrier and angrier - so much that he was now glowing a bright red color.

"I WASN'T HOPEFUL!" he roared at Shun. He was no sputtering random insults through tears. "Y-YOUR DAD - HE'S A FAT, BALDING IDIOT . . ."  
"Don't make fun of my dad!" shouted Shun furiously. Then, a bit frantic, he added: "Takumi - you're - glowing!"

"I DON'T CARE!" Takumi shouted, which was quite evident. The red glow around his body was growing brighter and brighter. The rest of the group covered their eyes, nearly blinded by the light.

"I've seen this before!" shouted Reina. "He's digivolving to the ultimate lefvel!"  
Her words could not be any more obvious. Takumi grew and grew, covered in what looked like fire, his head hitting the roof of the memorial center and breaking through it. The Elder and the Genesis Team sought safety by getting out from under it.

"What's wrong with your friend?" the Elder asked frantically, but they had no time to answer him, horrified by the teriffic sight before them.

The memorial was no more, its roof had collapsed and looked as though a tornado had gone through it. Where it used to be was a menacing dragon. He made even Hiamon look dwarvish. About five times larger than his champion form, the dragon had large, metal wings with missiles secreted inside of them. Long, knife-like spikes covered his orange body. His eyes were flame-red, and the single horn that had dominated his head had now split up into two separate, sharper ones. On each of his elbows was a spike, one of his hands metal. The other, the left hand, was covered in fire.

"RADIATIMON!"

The ultimate-level dragon towered over the group, who were paralyzed with fear. Radiatimon opened his mouth, revealing threatening fangs, and dripping saliva from them.

_WISSS._

The drool fell to the brancehs of a nearby tree, melting it in a cloud of steam.

"He has acidic breath!" cried Ryota as the group watched in frightened amazement.

The beast let out a loud roar, filling the streets of Civil City with panic. Then, the huge dragon opened up his wings, revealed a missile, and fired at Shun.

__

Next time on Digimon Genesis!  
Radiatimon storms through poor little Civil City like Godzilla through Tokyo, destroying everything in its path! Now it's time for Ryota to use the power of the D-Pendulum to digivolve to Hypothermon and clash against Radiatimon in:  


CIVIL CITY UNCIVILIZED

Well, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Sorry it took so long to get out. I tried to develop Shun's character more (but there's still tons for him left to do), give you all some brief information on my digital world, and just have fun with the chapter.

If you still feel sort of in-the-dark, don't worry, next chapter won't be all battle, there'll be information on the Second Slaughter, the current king of the Digital World, and more.

Remember to read and review, I spent a _lot_ of time on this chapter and to recieve reviews would mean so much to me! So don't forget to click that little review button at the bottom. If you have any questions or comments, address them in your review and I will try to contact you, or you can just e-mail me at: hamburglar8902@aol.com 


	27. Civil City Uncivilized

__

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon, but if I did, my name would appear on every Digimon product and the world would bow down before me! Ah ha! Hahaha! Oh yeah, I also don't own Miss Mary Mack. But who would? Heck, she's 114. And I don't own Miss Susie, but no one else would either, because she's been in the hospital ever since her "accident".

Previously on Digimon Genesis,

The Genesis Team landed at Civil City, where they defeated the wild Golemon and met up with the Elder, who explained to them a lot about the Digital World. The next day, the Elder led them all to a memorial for slaughtered humans, where Takumi's father was listed! Sad and angry, Takumi digivolved to his uncontrollable ultimate level of Radiatimon! Uh-oh!

****

DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER 27

CIVIL CITY UNCIVILIZED

_GBOOSH._

The Genesis Team watched in horror as Radiatmon's oncoming attack roared at Shun. Shun stood petrified to the ground, unable to move he was so frightened, unable to watch . . . he closed his eyes, then . . .

"Transform! HYPOTHERMON!"

_CREESH._

Shun ducked and held his hands out in front of his face as though to protect it, but he knew that the end was coming soon. He had had a good life, he thought. Good, but terribly short. There was only one thing left to do now, and that was to let the suffering pass, and then he would leave this world . . .

The missile that Radiatimon had fired had now impacted with the ground, creating a huge dust cloud (not to mention a crater) when it landed.

_At least I won't suffer to long, _thought Shun as he felt the missile hit the ground, _I'll just die instantly . . ._

But seconds later he found that he was far from dead. He was very much alive, and the only scars from the attack seemed to be the dust on his clothes. He was alive . . . but that was impossible. What had happened?  
Then he saw just what. A great snow leopard Digimon with metal wings and a mechanical body was lying down in front of him, seemingly lifeless. The one who had saved him was Hypothermon, the ultimate form of Kibamon, whom Ryota transformed into. His friend Ryota had taken the full blow of the missile - for him.

"No!" cried Shun, beginning to sob over the lifeless snow leopard. He knelt down over it, his hand to Hypothermon's chest. Surely he was alive . . . he just had to be . . . but no. He wasn't. Shun called to the snow leopard many times, but he received no answer in return.

_It's no use, _he told himself, _I'm talking to a dead body!_

Then, to his surprise, a voice finally answered him from the snow leopard.

"Shun!" Hypothermon growled, sounding more alive than ever, but very hurt. "Go! Go with the others to safety! Ring the city bells! Radiatimon is powerful!" Then he jumped to his feet and said, "But not powerful enough for me!" Both looked upwards at the menacing dragon, who was drooling his acidic saliva on the roads.

Fully assured, Shun obeyed Hypothermon, and after giving a warm good-luck, scampered to the two girls of the group, Yuka and Reina, who had been just as shocked as Shun had been at the sight of the missile.

"Will he be okay?" asked a very worried Yuka, referring to Hypothermon.

"He'll be fine!" Shun replied. "_We're _the ones in trouble! The whole city is in danger! We need to ring the city beels to sound the alarm!"  
The girls and the Elder, who was standing with them, looked back at the city, which sat peacefully under what looked like a dark cloud. The many streets and fountains seemed to quiet that it almost cloaked the battle being fought outside the gates.

Shun looked from the ruined memorial to Radiatimon, who was locked in combat with Hypothermon. The two ultimates were of equal strength, but no matter who won, it was only a matter of time before Civil City would be leveled to the ground. He thought back to the frightening day when Hypothermon had gone wild and destroyed his school, killing both students and teachers.

_CROBASH._

The former tour group turned to the battle. Hypothermon had been thrown to the ground with Radiatimon's hand of fire. The ultimate-level dragon roared triumphantly and did something like a dance, stomping his legs and shaking the ground.

Shun looked tensely at the others. "We don't have much time," he stated as Radiatimon flung is opponent around like a football. "Any second now, Radiatimon will reach the city!"  
The others turned hopelessly to the doomed, quiet little town. There was not much time . . . 

"Quick, ride on my back!" ordered the Elder in a growling voice. He sat down like a dog to allow the children to climb on.   
Shun sat uncomfortably behind Reina and Yuka, the latter holding onto the Elder's neck for dear life as he dashed down the street at a breathtaking forty miles per hour. The boy did not have time to look back, for he had to hold onto Yuka's shoulders.

If from the city the battle between Radiatimon and Hypothermon looked hopeless, it was even more so from its gates. The battle was raging, and the snow leopard Digimon was losing miserably. 

The ultimate Digimon that had once destroyed an entire school in one morning looked incapable of doing anything as he was tossed like a chew toy into the gates, which broke and fell under his weight.

Radiatimon stood with his silver claws out, ready to attack again, but he seemed almost _bored,_ conjuring pictures of a teenager reading a picture-book for toddlers.

Hypothermon dearly hated this, being treated like a juvenile opponent! After all, he was at the ultimate level. This new anger gave him strenghth, and he rose, undaunted, revived and ready to give the battle his all.

"I was only testing you, now it's time to show you my true power!" he boasted.

But his 'true power' was no better than the last, if not worse. He tried, in vain, to freeze his fiery opponent, who in turn kicked him in the mouth. The leopard lost several teeth in the blow, but fortunately none of his fangs, which assisted him in battle, but the force of the blow sent him flying through the air, and when he landed on the ground with a deafening _THUD,_ he wondered if he would ever get back up again. Then he heard it: The clanging of bells, soft at first, then louder and louder. _The alarm,_ he thought suddenly, _the city's in danger, and it's all my fault . . ._

For a fraction of a second he hoped that Radiatimon had left for the city, but that hope quickly faded. The fire lizard looked bemt on finishing the battle, and, based on their previous confrontations, Hypothermon would lose.

Breathing hard and suffering from terrible pain, the snow leopard urged the dragon on.

"Go," he said, trying to hide his fear, "Go on. Kill me. Just try it!"

The dragon emitted a terrible roar, as though it was already determined who the victor would be - him. He opened up his wings, and shouted:  
"Helios Missile!"

Now Hypothermon realized that he had made a dire mistake at tempting his opponent, but there was no way to dodge Radiatimon's most powerful attack! It was too late, and all he could do now was pray for survival . . .

_KSPRAN._

The missile hit the ground and demolished what was left of the gates, uprooted many shady trees, and made a huge crater, but amazingly, Hypothermon was still alive - though in agonizing pain. He could not move, so great was his pain. But he had survived, and that was all that mattered . . . 

Now Radiatimon looked angry; the look on his lizard-like face suggested that he had intended to finish off his opponent with his last attack. But he did not need the missile anymore, now that his foe was on the ground and unable to move, he could resort to fighting dirty.

With large, angry footsteps which shook the earth, the dragon strode over to Hypothermon . . .

* * *

Reina and the others watched hopelessly as the two ultimates clashed. Her arms dangled dully from the top floor rail of a large building some distance away from the fight. Below her many Digimon had taken shelter from the battle, which had yet to reach the city. The city sirens had done their job, but they would not be able to hold off a monstrous dragon from destroying the little town. She could just not believe that Takumi was that wild, vicious monster.

Yuka, noting her displeasure, asked, "What do you think will happen?" and she too joined her on the rail.

Reina shook her head. "I don't know," she said glumly. "I don't even want to think about it."  
Over her shoulder an insistent Shun kept begging the Elder to let them join the fight. "C'mon, Elder, we're powerful enough -"  
"I said _no!_" Then, softer, he said, "You're simply not powerful enough to battle an ultimate. If Hypothermon can't win, what makes you think that you can?"

Shun growled frustratingly. "But we can go to ultimate!" he said, showing his D-Pendulum as proof. "Just let us try . . ."  
"No! We cannot have five ultimates and a mega fighting near the city!"

"Mega? What's that?"

"I'll explain later. Right now I need to go!" He growled, then ran at a start, and, much to the girls' surprise, jumped over the rail!

Reina and Yuka screamed as the huge tiger missed them by inches. After the Elder had landed on the ground, they were slightly shocked, but other than that, fine.

Shun leapt over to the rail beside the girls in a heartbeat. "Whoa!" he exclaimed, looking down in amazement as the girls crowded in a corner. The Elder, like all cats, had landed on his feet, and was now running towards the battle scene. Shun's mouth dropped open in awe at the Elder's leap to the ground.

"Huh," he said to Yuka and Reina without looking back up, "guess the Elder's not such an old coot after all, huh guys? Guys?" He peered over to the "guys" who were shivered in the corner. "Aw, don't be scared of a little old lion!" he said with a tone of disbelief.

Meanwhile, the battle was still not going well. Hypothermon had survived the missile, but the impact had injured him severely. He felt like he was about to die, but he had no intention to do so - but his body said otherwise. He tried to get himself to move forward, to struggle on; his body ready to quit so he could have a nice, long rest. Hosting a literal inner conflict, he was unable to decide what to do and closed his eyes.

Though he could only see his black eyelids now, it became evident that a dark shadow was upon him! Finally acquiring the strength to open his eyes, he looked up and gasped at the sight above him.

A huge, orange foot belonging to Radiatimon was about to squish him like a tiny bug! What a horrible fate! In seconds, he would be scrap metal . . .

"Howling Crusher!"  
The shadow left him, there was a howl of pain from Radiatimon, then a deep, angry roar from somewhere.

_SMASH!_

Hypothermon felt the ground below him shake wildly. Mustering what little strength he had left, he got to his feet and through his bloodshot eyes he saw, to his side, the Elder, looking large and mighty in the near-darkness. His great age seemed to disappear and he now radiated a strong power. He looked more ready to fight than ever; his weary eyes were now keen and full of rage, his sharp saber fangs seemed more threatening than ever before.

"Hypothermon, are you all right?" the saber-toothed tiger growled.

Feeling a new spring of confidence, the snow leopard stretched his legs and said, "Fine!" right before he collapsed on the ground.

"You are far from fine," observed the Elder as Hypothermon howled in pain. "But do not worry, I am very much able to defeat this beast."  
Radiatimon got up off his back; he was dusty but other than that retained no serious wounds. He let out a roar that clearly said, "I'm not done yet!" and swung his forked lizard tail at his prehistoric opponent. The SaberLeomon ducked and evaded the attack with ease, but the buildings of the town, who were unable to defend themselves, suffered greatly. Windows broke and rooms were wiped out, but the Digimon had fortunately sheltered down at the lowest level, like we humans would do in a natural disaster such as a tornado.

"Twin Fang!" the Elder counter-attacked. From SaberLeomon's mane came a swarm of needles, which shot right at Radiatimon. Soon they covered his entire body!  
Though it caused the ultimate-level dragon considerable pain, he broke away from the needles with as much ease as SaberLeomon had evaded his attack. Now more angry than ever, the dragon lifted off the ground and nose-dived straight for the Elder.

His eyes wide with fear, the Elder cried:  
"Duck!"

But Hypothermon was an inactive fighter and had already "ducked" - by resting on the ground - therefore te Elder was the only one in trouble. Changing his mind, the Elder ran forward and _then_ ducked. Radiatimon dived to the ground, and his tail missed the Elder by inches - but the town was not so lucky. The dangerous attempt at a nose-dive crushed a nearby building and somehow lit a pack of other buildings on fire.

Almost embarrassed from missing his mark, Radiatimon quickly recovered and got to his feet. After shaking himself off, he crushed the city streets as he made his way for his opponent, who was shaking himself off after his defensive move.

On the ground, Hypothermon was also waking up. In seconds he back on all four legs.

"Do not get up if you cannot fight!" warned the Elder. 

"I can too fight!" Hypothermon snarled back. "It's fire against ice, right?"  
Apparently Radiatimon had done more than physical damage on Hypothermon. As every Digimon and human well knew, fire _melted _ice. After another vain attempt at freezing his fiery foe, the snow leopard Digimon tried his own missile attack (Cold Cannons) but that did not work either. They hit Radiatimon's knees and had the effect of a child dropping a stuffed animal on someone's head. 

An instant later Hypothermon was again kicked to the ground. The result was swallowing a mouthful of dirt. Coughing and spitting followed.

"You're weakening him!" encouraged the Elder. "Get up, your ice is slowly cooling him off! Use your Freeze Tranquil attack, quickly!"  
Hypothermon got up, but he did not attack. "What's the use? I've already tried that, I -" (he narrowly avoided being stepped on by Radiatimon) " - Wait a minute! That's it!"

"What?"  
"Use your Twin Fang attack . . . you'll see, we'll give him infinite pain!"  
SaberLeomon nodded, he seemed to understand what his companion had in mind. Obediently, he used his Twin Fang attack and sent needles flying everywhere. A minute later the dragon was covered from head to foot in sharp, stinging needles.

"Quick!" shouted the Elder.

Promptly, Hypothermon cried, "Freeze Tranquil!" and Radiatimon became covered in ice - but not exclusively in ice. The needles stuck to his orange body.

If the dragon Digimon had been able to move, he probably would have been howling in pain. But he was frozen like an ice cube, and hence, could not - at least, not for long.

"Quick!" the Elder shouted again.

Hypothermon jumped up into the air, near his opponent's stomach, and shouted: "Cold Cannons!" From his blue back armor came two missiles, small and fat but powerful. Hurtling towards the humongous ice cube that was Radiatimon at breakneck speed, the missiles hit with a satisfying explosion, at which the ice shattered, and out came a bloody Radiatimon, his body steaming. Hypothermon almost felt sorry for his opponent as he howled in pain. Then he glowed and decreased in size.

Hypothermon smiled. He had been the victor (with help, of course), the city was safe, and his friend was back.

Ryota dedigivolved back to his human state and rushed to Takumi's side. Unconcious he lay on the ground, but other than that he sustained no major wounds, besides a small scar on his left arm.

"Is he alright?" asked the Elder worriedly, running over and then coming to a halt on Takumi's other side.

"He's fine," was the confirmation. "Only unconcious."  
The Elder nodded. "Alright then. Lift him up on my back, and you might want to get on, too." 

Ryota did so; he difficultly lifted his friend on the Elder's back, then climbed on himself for a ride back to Civil City - the town that had almost been made uncivil.

* * *

Takumi opened his brown eyes and saw through them, for the first time in many hours, controllably. After stretching for a bit, he found himself resting on the floor, covered in blankets, in a familiar place. A huge chandelier hung over his head and gave light to the room, which had many windows in which came light from a silvery moon. In front of him were stairs that led to no where, on which lay a descending red carpet. It was the Elder's throne, and this was the Elder's room. Only this time the Digimon supporters were not present, but his friends were, as well as the Elder himself, who was not perched on his royal platform. Instead he was learning how to play a schoolgirl game, with Yuka as his teacher. He put his paws with Yuka's hands and they finished up their song with claps:

"They jumped so high, high, high

They touched the sky, sky, sky

And didn't come back, back, back

'Till the fourth of July, ly, ly!"

When the singing and clapping had ended, the Elder laughed merrily and Yuka giggled.

"Ooh, I liked that song!" exclaimed the Elder, sitting down. "But I must say, I liked the Miss Susie and the refrigerator song best. Sing it again, will you?"

Yuka began the song, but was interrupted by Ryota, who exclaimed, "Look! Takumi's waking up!" Feeling a bit guilty because he had been the one who knocked Takumi unconcious, for the last few hours he had been monitoring Takumi, hoping he would be alright. To his relief, his friend looked better than ever.

"Ah, you're awake!" the Elder beamed. "Glad to see you up and well!"

Takumi stood up. His head was throbbing, and he still felt a bit dizzy. When he had sat down again, he tried to recollect what had happened in the past day. Then it came to him, everything.

"The city!" he exclaimed, standing up wildly. "I - I destroyed the city -"

"Relax, Takumi," assured Reina, who was sitting down calmly on one of the Elder's royal steps. "You didn't destroy the city. Everyone's okay."

"To a certain extent," laughed Ryota, who was treating a gash on his leg, a scar from the battle. "You certainly gave me a walloping." He soaked a white towel in cold water and wrapped it around the wound.

Takumi wanted to say so many things all at once. "But - I - I remember setting fire to a building!"  
"You don't need to worry about that one either," assured the Elder, waving a retracted claw in the air as if to say "that's okay". "Otamamon and some other local water Digimon were able to extinguish the fire, before it got serious, with ease. So, the town retains not so much as a scorch mark as evidence that there was a battle today."  
Shun perked his eyebrows.

"Oh - er, yes," the Elder quickly corrected himself after seeing Shun, "yes, that's a bit of an exaggeration. You did, of course, crush the city gates, but they don't serve any purpose other than decoration - and you know, invaders just aren't kind enough to use the gates. And you knocked out a floor of a building, and some townsfolk are a bit angry at that, but doubtless some young Digimon were amused . . . the floor you wiped out was part of a school. But nothing that can't be fixed up in a week or two."  
Takumi nodded and bent his head down. He had caused enough destruction, but something in the deep recesses of his memory told him he had destroyed something else.

"The memorial," he spoke his thoughts aloud, "I destroyed that too." He said this slowly and sadly.

The Elder had a look on his face that suggested he was not worried. "As for the memorial itself, yes, you did destroy that, but the billboards survive. They were picked up a while ago by some local Digimon. I told them to hang it here."  
Takumi turned and looked, and saw something he had overlooked after he had woken up. To his left, near the windows, hung the three familiar billboards. On the middle one was the name that had nearly sealed Civil City's fate. KAIRU HITO was engraved in gold and shined brightly, reflected off the candles on the chandelier. 

"My dad," Takumi sighed. "When Mr. Shale - I mean, Mr. Stone - said that there was a small chance that he was alive, it was like my dreams had come true. When I came to this world, my hopes increased, with the fact that humans could still be here. I was sure that my dad was alive when I had a dream about him. But then I saw the name," he sniveled, "And I - I went - crazy. And I was so angry I was about to burst. And I insulted you, Shun, and you, Elder -"

"You didn't insult me, you insulted my dad, remember?" said Shun good-naturedly. "But I forgive you."  
"As do I," growled the Elder, who had not bitten his head off, as Takumi had feared.

"It's not your fault," assured Yuka, who, out of all of the group, probably spoke to Takumi the least. Her reassurance was probably the most appreciated. "I was sad about Naoki dying, but if I had been _mad,_ who knows what I might have done? It's not your fault at all. It's the Shadow Gang's, for getting your hopes up."

Takumi did not agree with this, but after all, Yuka hadn't been friends with Mr. Stone, so she had no idea. The Elder didn't, either. He cleared his throat and said, "I would not do so much as blame _them_." (He had been told about the Shadow Gang the previous night by the humans). Then he added something surprising. "This whole affair is partly my fault, if not all my fault."

Takumi looked up. "Your fault?"  
The saber-toothed tiger Digimon sighed. "Yes, it is my fault. I am accountable for any destruction to this city, so if the townsfolk have anyone to blame, it is me."  
"But _why_?"  
"Because, Takumi, when you asked last night if I knew where your father was, I was certain that you had meant you wanted to know what had _happened_ to your father. You see, if a human who had escaped both slaughters was found, it would be a very extraordinary thing indeed. So I told you that we had a clue in this city that would explain to you what had happened to your father."  
"But, when you kept referring to your father as if he were alive, I knew that we were thinking along very different lines. Instead of softening your hopes, I foolishly ended my explanations about this world and sent you off to bed. I - I did not want to be the one to destroy your hopes and break your heart. But when the time came to break the news to you, that chances your father was still alive were extremely slim, your hopes had only heightened. And then, when you saw your father's name on the memorial -" he motioned towards the billboard, " - Well, your hopes went from 100% to zero. And that triggered your angry digivolution to Radiatimon. It is _my _fault, and I regret ending our discussion yesterday. So, to make up for it, I suppose I'll finish it now. Humans, do you have any questions for me?"

Takumi's hand went up first and quickly. The Elder nodded, and the boy asked, "Did you ever know my father?"  
The Elder thought for a moment, then replied, "No. The memorial includes names of murdered humans throughout all of this world. But that does not mean that I don't have some clue as to who might have known him. In the later years, when intolerance of humans was high, there were only two cities that were friendly to the humans: This city, of course, and another some eighty miles from here, the city of Midgard. I believe your father may have lived there, before, of course, the king sent his officials there, who nearly destroyed the city and attacked the humans and packed them away to death camps. Perhaps, the Elder there knew your father at one point."  
"Thank you, Elder," said Takumi. At least he knew their next stop: Midgard City. Even though he wouldn't find his father there, it would be interesting to talk to someone that actually knew him - unlike Takumi ever did.

Shun stepped forward, wearing a serious expression on his plump face, wanting answers. "You keep talking about a Digimon king," he said. "Just who is he, and what the heck is his problem?"  
The Elder sighed and looked like he was trying to tell an unbelieving child that Santa Claus didn't exist, but couldn't find the right words. Finally, he said, "Well, you know what a king is, don't you? After all, isn't your world governed by kings?"  
"Uhh . . . it used to be that way," said Shun.

"Well, then, even if your world isn't governed by kings, you at least know what they are. Well, our world has good kings and . . . bad kings."  
"No doubt," said Ryota.

"The bad kings have been in great abundance lately. When I was growing up, some 300 years ago, there were good kings, mostly. But they exist no more, and now their evil children are on the throne. You know the phrase, 'Like father, like son'? It is not true. There was a good king, King Mammothmon. Back in his reign, Digimon and humans were treated as equals, and all the land was pure. When he died, his son, Piedmon, became king."

"Piedmon - a virus type -" (Shun grunted in disapproval) " - was a corrupt king who hated humans. Unfortunately, the public supported him and he launched the First Slaughter, which I have already explained in detail. When that slaughter was over, Piedmon announced that the Digital World was free from humans."

"An angry, radical, obsessive virus type Digimon did not like that, for the Digital World was _not _free from humans - though the human population was considerably less after the First Slaughter. The night that Piedmon made the announcement, this dark Digimon and his servants conspired against King Piedmon and assassinated him. The lunatic killed Piedmon's whole family and overthrew the king's officials, then crowned himself king of the Digital World.

"Who is he?" asked a shocked Reina.

"His name is Daemon. An immoral, disgusting, murderous, no-good tyrannical excuse for a Digimon. He is so despised by so many Digimon that almost everyone on our side refuses to refer to him as 'King Daemon'. If the First Slaughter and King Piedmon were horrible things, the Second Slaughter and Daemon was even worse. Daemon devised the Second Slaughter himself. He and his Daemon Corps - a three-man army of evil virus-type Digimon and their officials - searched every nook and cranny of our world for humans. 'Leave no stone unturned' was their motto. When they found humans who had amazingly escaped the terrible act of the First Slaughter, Daemon sent them to death camps. But he wasn't content with letting them die. Instead, he laughed as he watched his captives beheaded, drowned, burned to death, attacked by wild Digimon, and suffer from weird experiments."  
"Once, as the story goes, Daemon taped a human's eyelids to his forehead and left him locked up in a cell. When he died of starvation a few days later, he did not bury him, but left him to rot with his eyes opened.

The children looked sick; Takumi wanted to throw up in a basket.

"You are very lucky that your father did not die during the Second Slaughter, Takumi," said the Elder, of which the boy was grateful for. "If he did, I am not sure anyone can imagine what may have been done to him."  
It took a few minutes for the group to ask another question, so horrified were they of the shocking Second Slaughter imposed on the humans by the disgusting tyrant Daemon. Takumi could not block out the images of the cruel punishments, the powerless humans, the doomed men, women, and children as they were led to their deaths . . .

After a long silence Shun raised his hand and asked, "But what about Phelesmon? Do you know him?"  
The Elder gasped in wonderment. "You - do you mean to say that you know - or at least, met - Phelesmon? The one who had his daughter kidnapped?"  
"The very same."  
"How?"  
Shun then informed the Elder of Civil City of their adventures shortly after the death of Naoki, of Phelesmon dragging them to the Demon Palace, his insistence that they be jailed on obviously false charges, their imprisonment, and their brave rescue before their arrival to the city (but Ryota stopped Shun when he started relating his single-handed victory in a battle with the combined forces of Phelesmon and SkullSatamon).

"So, you met the Chief Judge SkullSatamon. What was he like?"  
"Better than Phelesmon, but still nasty," was the reply from Takumi, supported by the nodding of many heads. "But please, tell us all you know about Phelesmon!"  
"Me? Not much."  
"Please!" pleaded Reina.

"Oh - _alright._ Well, he used to live in this city, for one."

"He used to _live_ here?" asked a wide-eyed Takumi. "With him hating humans, and all?"  
Now it was the Elder's turn to go wide-eyed. "Hate humans? Absurd! Sure, he was eccentric, a strange sort of Digimon, but never did he show any sort of disregard to a human."  
Reina turned to Takumi, who was unconvinced. "Takumi," she said, "Phelesmon never said he hated humans. In fact, he -" She turned back to the Elder. "- It was almost like he didn't seem to recognize us as humans. He thought we were normal Digimon."  
The Elder now had an unbelieving look on his face, as though he were being told a sort of fantasy tale. "Him, not recognizing a human?" he said. "That's absurd!" he said for the second time in the conversation. "He used to work in the Dimensional Affairs building."  
"Dimensional Affairs?" asked Shun. "What's that?"  
"Exactly what it sounds like," explained the Elder. "The people who work there monitor gates to other worlds and make sure that they're not opened intentionally. And you remember what I said about the humans messing up the food population? Well, the people who work at Dimensional Affairs used to provide food and other needs for humans and other non-digital creatures."

Ryota squinted. "_Other_ non-digital creatures?"  
"Well, of course. You don't think you're the only ones who found a gate to this world, now, do you?"  
"Well, no, it's just -"  
"But mostly," continued the Elder, ignoring Ryota, "we get humans and . . ."

At that moment came a rapping on one of the windows. The group and the Elder looked up and saw . . .

"Birds," said the Elder, almost like he had planned for the bird at the window and this explanation to coincide. "But now, we are getting off of our main topic about Phelesmon. So . . . it was like he didn't recognize you as humans?"  
"Yeah," said Takumi, "nor did SkullSatamon. They were bickering about us and calling us 'monsters' and 'Digimon'." He crossed his legs and looked up at the Elder. "Why?"

"Hmm. Well, it is perfectly fine for SkullSatamon not to recognize you. When you stay in Demon Palace, filing papers, sleeping in courtrooms, and delivering punishments from the time you wake up to late at night, every day for eight years, your memory fades. And he's crazy," he added wryly. "But for Phelesmon, who worked with humans every day, to forget what they _looked_ like, is not only odd, it's unreal. Maybe he _has_ gone crazy."  
"Why would he go crazy?" aske Takumi.

"Well, because of his daughter, for one," was the reply from the Elder, who was not impressed with Takumi's slow uptake. "His daughter was a very beautiful Digimon, and Phelesmon had been widowed for quite some time. So only Phelesmon and his daughter remained - and those two couldn't have a more closer father-daughter bond. They were inseparable. You see, Phelesmon had a very hard life, and though he was very wealthy from his career, his daughter was the only bright spot in it. He loved her dearly. When she came of age, Phelesmon had her married to a very wealthy young Digimon. It was happy times for all."

"But one night, while the newly wed couple was asleep, something very mysterious happened. A Digimon broke into their house, killed the groom, and took off with the bride."  
Yuka looked teary-eyed. "How said," she said sorrowfully.

The Elder continued. "It was even more sad for Phelesmon. One week, his beautiful daughter was getting married, his career going well, the next, his only child disappeared without a trace, his son-in-law defeated, deleted, and dead. Poor Phelesmon desperately tried to find the kidnapper, he quit his job and practically gave the new digital police force all his money to aide in their search, but nothing turned up. After two years with nothing found, the police concluded that she had been raped and killed. Phelesmon insisted that she was still alive, but the odds were against her. Finally, Phelesmon left the city, on a Tuskmon, with his only remaining servant, Vilemon (the rest he had released because he did not have the money to give them fair wages). He hoped to find some trace of his daughter, alive. I have not seen him since."  
The Genesis Team were shocked at this revelation of the Digimon they despised. _Even worse,_ thought Takumi, _if he was insane, then he cannot be held accountable for putting us in jail . . ._

"He's accused over 300 Digimon in the case," stated Ryota. "Anyone who does that can't _not_ be insane."

The Elder nodded. "That is true. Either that, or he's obsessed, convinced that he will find the kidnapper, and his daughter. But I could be wrong." He looked up. "Is that all you wish to ask me?"  
"No," was the reply, but this was not true. As Takumi looked out the window at the darkening digital skies, he knew he had another question that had been nagging at him since their arrival to the Digital World.

Turning to the wise old Elder, he asked: "Why is it always dark here?"

Now the whole group turned to the window; the Elder did too, and his face almost looked sad.

"One of the many things we admire about your world -" (It's not all that great," said Ryota. "That's because you can't appreciate it!" Shun retorted) "- is that you all have a sun, a light source. We have no sun - being digital, we simply don't _need_ it. But that isn't to say that we Digimon don't _want_ one - or that we didn't _used_ to have one."  
"'_Used_ to have one'?" quoted Reina. "How can you lose a sun?"

"Maybe it exploded," mused Shun, who was probably wondering about his painting of a dark mountain.

"No, no, no," laughed the Elder, "no, nothing like that. About 1,500 years ago, the sun that we had just grew dimmer and dimmer, until, finally, it was gone. Now it is all dark."  
"It must've really confused all those poor birds," said Yuka sadly with a look at the window.

"But this is the place for those who like to sleep in!" exclaimed Shun. 

A smile lit on the Elder's weary saber-toothed tiger face. "Now that you mention sleep, I think it is _time _-" Then he remembered his guests. "Er - but of course I would not like to leave any questions unanswered. So - erm - is there anything else that needs asking?"

The group thought for a moment, but they found nothing they needed for immediate answering.

"I propose that we go to Midgard City and see if we can meet anyone who knew Takumi's dad," said Shun. "And then, we'll march right up to Demon Palace and show Daemon who's boss."

The Elder's eyes almost popped out they were so widened. He looked awe-struck; this was not what he had expected. He walked right up to Shun and almost roared right in his ears.

"What? You want to fight _Daemon_?" he said with amazement and disbelief. "No, no way - I will not allow it!"  
"Aw, why not?" Ryota asked. Now it was his turn to get his head bitten off.

"Because, if you dare to fight Daemon you will lose your lives! SkullSatamon and Phelesmon might not have recognized you as humans, but Daemon certainly will! He'll probably defeat you in battle, then give you the torture he gave the humans in the Second Slaughter! If he sees you out of the corner of his eye, then you're pretty much dead!" he lectured.

"We'll go in our Digimon forms," said Shun as though this warning was nothing to fear.

"You think that Daemon won't kill you just because you're Digimon? If you challenge him to battle, he'll kill you like he'd kill a human! And even if you _did _defeat him in battle -" Shun lit up at this consideration. "- Which I find _extremely _unlikely - his officials and followers will come after you."

"No one ever got anywhere if they didn't _try,_" said Reina.

"If you _try_ then you will _die!" _ shouted the Elder. "You wouldn't be able to win! You can't even enter Demon Palace, you -"

At that moment there was an opening of the hard oak doors. In stepped the same Apemon guard that had administered them to their room the previous night. He was holding his bone stick and wearing his yellow smile. "Sorry to interrupt you, O Wise Elder."  
"Apemon, what are you doing here?" demanded the Elder.

The Digimon grinned. "I could not help but overhear your conversation." He walked straight over to the Elder. Takumi, who was standing next to the tiger Digimon, noticed that the ape had bad breath. He continued speaking. "If you really wish to overthrow King Daemon, I have some advice to offer you."

"They will _not_ be attempting any overthrowing," insisted the Elder.

"O Wise Elder, I do not wish to speak against you." He knelt down briefly and then put a cold arm around Takumi and an ape-like hand on Reina's head, which must have been very uncomfortable. "But as the little girl said . . ." He ruffled Reina's hair. "What's wrong with _trying_? I have faith in these five." He grinned. "I believe that they are the saviors, who will overthrow King Daemon's abominable government and establish a period of peace in this world, not unlike the ones that the Twelve did, many years ago. What would it be like today, O Wise Elder, if the Twelve had not tried? We would be living in an uncivilized land, with only the strongest surviving. Now, I ask you, O Wise Elder . . . what if, years and years from now, our descendants are saying the same things about these five. 'What if the Five had not tried?' they will ask. 'We would still be under the rule of tyrannical kings'. Now, O Wise Elder, do you wish for them to say that, or to say 'If only someone had succeeded, if only someone had tried, we could be saved'? O Wise Elder, if these five are killed in battle against Daemon, they will die honorably, and everyone will know them as 'the ones who tried'. But if they do succeed . . . then we are all saved, and these are indeed the saviors. And, O Wise Elder, if they are indeed the saviors, then they are _destined_ to defeat Daemon. And who are we, O Wise Elder, to go against the will of destiny?"

The Elder sighed. He could not argue against that. "Very well," he said bitterly, "if you all wish, then you may go - but I strongly advise you not to. Many have tried to overthrow Daemon since his reign began - all have failed. Their punishments were too graphic for me to describe to you. But if you wish to risk your lives, to take the chance - I am powerless to stop you. I am the ruler of the town, but the people of the town rule themselves. But that is not how Daemon rules. I would like for him to be overthrown. But I would not want you to sacrifice your lives on the chance that his power will fall." He looked straight into the eyes of all the Genesis Team. "But, if you think you should go, then go."

"Alright then!" said Shun, raising his large fist into the air, to the cheers of his friends, "Let's go defeat Daemon and bring peace to this world!"

"Yeah!" was the chorus.

When all the excitement had ceased, Apemon gave them a piece of advice. "You can't go rushing in there, you know," he told them. "To get an Entrance Card to Demon Palace, you need to defeat all three of Daemon's officials. They each have an Entrance Card, and you will find them after you defeat them."

"Then we're going to have to take a little detour," grinned Takumi, "we're going to have to kill Daemon's officials, then Daemon himself."  
The Elder shook his head. "I wish you wouldn't go. I wish you wouldn't do this." He sighed. "Well, that is enough excitement for one night," he concluded. "I suggest that you all get to bed. Apemon? Resume your normal position as night guard. Good-night to all of you, I shall see you in the morning." He turned to them all. "I hope you change your minds. You are some of the finest humans I have ever met, and you are my friends. I have lost many loved ones in my life - from my own sons to humans from another world. I do not wish to lose more." After Apemon had left for his job as guardian of the Elder's room, the Genesis Team thanked the Elder and each child hugged him. He had been very kind, and this sudden desire to defeat Daemon made it seem like they were already saying good-bye to him, but they were not, they were to spend another day with him.

The Elder climbed up to his royal platform, ready for bed, and the Genesis Team left for their room, which the Elder had invited them to stay in for the rest of their time in the city. But Takumi didn't go with them. He had yet another question, one that the others didn't seem to care much about. Alone in the room with the leader of Civil City, Takumi approached the Elder (who was chewing on a pillow) and asked:

"Er - Mr. Elder, Sir?"

"Huh?"  
The Elder revealed his torn-up pillow, gave an embarrassed smile, and said, "Ah, Takumi . . . I had no idea you were still in here. What is it that you wish to talk about? I'm wide-awake, so ask away." 

Takumi almost laughed, but he found that he couldn't because of the past day's events. The Elder again looked like he would collapse on his chewed-up pillow. But perhaps being unable to laugh wasn't such a downside after all - being depressed over his dad, he had also forgotten the feeling of nervousness, and he would have been nervous - he had never spoken to the Elder face-to-face, with no one else in the room besides them. But he had grown to accept the Elder as a friend, so he stepped up to the second step of the leader's stairs and asked:  
"Sir - if you don't mind my asking - but - do you think _now_ that we're the saviors?"  
The Elder opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Apparently he had caught the saber-toothed tiger unprepared. Finally he answered, "Takumi, you and your friends are some of the finest humans that I've ever met, and you are truly a wonderful human, yourself, but -" He looked at Takumi, who was waiting for an answer, but really more of a positive answer. His pleading eyes longed to know, but he knew the answer from how the Elder started his sentence. He felt a tinge of anger. How, after defeating both Golemon, a champion, and himself, an ultimate level, could he not accept he and his friends as the saviors? How could they _not_ be the saviors? Half-human, half-Digimon, powerful - if they didn't fit the description, then who did?  
"You know what I'm about to say," said the Elder to Takumi, "you are powerful, smart, you have been great friends to this city - and to me. I respect that - but I do not think that you are the saviors."  
Takumi couldn't take this, but controlled his anger this time.

"But - _why?_" he asked, forgetting his manners. "_Why _don't you think we're the saviors?"  
The two stared into each other's eyes fro a moment. The Elder saw two pleading, keen, adolescent eyes staring into his own weary ones. After a pause, he found the right words, and said, "Let's just say, that when you believe in something so much, you'll be even more disappointed when it turns out that you were wrong in your beliefs. Do you understand me, Takumi?"  
"Yes, I do," he said, then he thanked the Elder, wished him good-luck, and left down the hallway for his room. But as he was turning the golden knob to his room, he found that, even after his experiences with his father and his angry digivolution to Radiatimon, he still did not quite understand what the Elder had meant.

* * *

Takumi got up bright and early the next morning - well, it wasn't so bright because of no sunshine, and it wasn't exactly early either . . . but no matter. Takumi found that when you are depressed, or usually just plain bored, you tend to sleep longer and later. 

It was not from boredom that Takumi slept - Civil City certainly offered a wide variety of things to do. After he had breakfast (or rather, lunch) they were given a proper tour of the city (with no wild digivolutions) and even a picnic under a large, digital tree which the Elder referred to as _jayshade, _a plant not found in Takumi's own world.

Everyone had something to do - Ryota ate and took a short nap, Reina told the Elder about the real world, and Shun was adding the finishing touches to a painting of a mountain against a rising sun. Even Takumi found something to do, but he still could not deviate from the fact that his father was dead. As he crushed a dead leaf in his hand, he wished that he were sometimes a bit more social. His friends, his only friends, were his only reminder that life wasn't all bad.

Bored of crushing brown leaves, he loomed over Shun as the eighth grader added his signature to the painting:

Shun A. Oshiro 

"There! Almost finished!" he exclaimed happily, holding up the work of art with pride. "Just a few more strokes on these ugly trees I did here . . ."  
"That's a nice painting," said Takumi suddenly, swinging on a tree branch. Shun nearly combusted, apparently the boy had no idea that someone was behind him. But he thanked Takumi for the compliment anyway and finished up the trees. Takumi stared at the signature.

"You know, usually people put their names on _after_ the paint is dry," said Takumi. "What's the 'A' stand for, anyway?"  
"What's the what stand for?"  
Takumi sighed. "You know . . . the 'A' in your middle name."

"Uhh . . ." Shun began, glancing at Reina, who was telling the Elder about buses. ". . . It's my dad's name. It stands for 'Atilan'.

"Atilan?"  
"AT-Ih-Lan."

"I know how to _say_ it," said Takumi, as though this was obvious. "It's just an odd name."  
"Most middle names _are_ odd," said Shun, returning to his painting. "What's yours, anyway?"  
"Uhh . . . mine?" Takumi said guiltily. "Uhh . . . mine's also pretty weird -"

"Go on."  
"It's 'Tora'," Shun was told.

"Takumi Tora Hito? That's an odd one," said Shun, without looking up from his painting.

"Yeah . . . it was my dad's great-great grandfather's name. But yours is odder."  
"Why's that?"  
"Because it's your father's name."

Shun set his paint down under the _jayshade,_ though it obviously wasn't finished. He turned to Takumi. "What's wrong with my father's name?"  
"Well, it's weird."  
"Well, my dad's weird."

Shun lay on the grass, under the cool shade, though there was no sun for the tree to block. He folded his legs.

"I thought you didn't want me insulting your dad," Takumi said after almost tripping on a tree root.

"Mmm. Me and my dad haven't been on really close terms lately. Well, actually, we haven't been on close terms since I was eight years old."

"Why's that?" Takumi asked, interested. He sat down on a low branch and looked down at his older friend. He wondered if Shun would mind if he dropped a pinecone on his head.

"Well, it started when I entered school," Shun began. "That was when I developed an interest in painting. I would paint almost all the time, even skipping some of my school work to paint. Of course, that was in kindergarten." He opened his eyes. "My teacher assured my dad that there was nothing to worry, most children were 'free spirits' at this age, and I would eventually get my priorities straight and work harder later on. For a time, my dad convinced himself that I would be alright, but a year passed, then another, and then I was in second grade. My addiction to painting and disregard for other work was then growing more serious. My dad tried to get me to work harder, or he warned I would get held back. Well, I didn't want to get held back. So I worked just enough to get a passing grade. And then, when I entered middle school in the sixth grade, he told me that I should get much better grades to get to a good college. Well, I didn't really care for college. I already knew what I was going to do later in life, and that was to be a painter. And if I were to be a homeless man on the streets, then so be it. But I would still paint." He looked up at Takumi, who was glad he had not dropped the pinecone. "I told that to my dad. And then he stopped pressuring me. We grew more and more distant, until I got held back in the eighth grade. He didn't seem to care then, and seemed to accept me as a free spirit."

"Hmm," Takumi said, looking up through the leaves of the jayshade. If his father had not gone to the Digital World, would he had been like that? Takumi certainly had not devoted himself to his schoolwork, the highest grades he usually got were B minuses. But he knew that if his father was still alive, he would devote himself to pleasing him . . .

Suddenly, something interrupted his thoughts and almost made him fall out of his tree branch.

"YARR-HAR!" a rough voice shouted, coming from behind what used to be the city gates. Shun sat up and looked to where the voice was coming from. "Who in the heck is that?" he said, standing up and looking over another tree.

The Elder, who had been listening to Reina's explanations about bathrooms, looked up in fear. "Quick, everyone!" he shouted. "Transform into your Digimon forms!" Without asking Takumi and Shun evolved to Hiamon and Mekanorimon, and Ryota, who was climbing the jayshade, boldly jumped down and evolved in mid-air to his champion form, Kibamon. Yuka stopped feeding some blue birds and evolved to Mikemon, and Reina's explanations ceased and in the girl's place was now the fox Digimon, Suraiimon.

Over the hill came something that looked like it had come from the pages of a fantasy novel. An ugly greenish Digimon with a spiked bone club, long white hair, two blacks horns, and large teeth walked right up to the six Digimon who were standing near the jayshade.

"Hello, Ogremon," greeted the Elder, but this was not his usual greeting, it was a greeting of respect, but mostly fear.

"Hello yourself, Mr. Elder guy," said the ogre Digimon with a tip of his club. His mouth seemed always open, even when he talked it did not move. Takumi wondered if any birds had ever flown in his mouth.

"Are there any problems, Ogremon?" asked the Elder with a preoccupied sort of fear in his eyes.

"None for you," was the reply, and Takumi felt the Elder's fear, and his own, increase. "But for these here Digimon -" He pointed his bone club at the Genesis Team, who were fortunately in their Digimon forms. "- They are in serious trouble."  
"What trouble?" demanded the Elder, losing his polite tone. "These hu - _Digimon_ have done nothing wrong."

"Oh, I'm afraid they have," said Ogremon, with a swing of his bone. "They've violated this city's own laws. I'm amazed that you haven't arrested them yet, Elder."

"I am not in charge of the city police force," was the reply.

"But you are in charge of the _city,_ are you not?"  
"That is true."  
"And yet you picnic with criminals?" If his mouth ever moved, he would have grinned as he motioned towards the picnic basket and the large red blanket under it.

"Just what have they done?" the Elder demanded, almost going eye-to-eye with Ogremon. Takumi knew that if the Elder and Ogremon fought each other, the Elder would win easily, but Ogremon seemed to be an officer of the law, but he also knew that if one just so much as playfully punched Ogremon, he would arrest them in an instant - or even worse, call on friends.

"Let's see . . . they were fighting in the city yesterday."  
"Just how do you know we were fighting in the city?!" demanded Hiamon, who forgot to remain silent.

"Takumi - _Takumimon -_" He glanced at Ogremon fearfully. "If you would just let me do the talking -"  
Ogremon laughed. "Ho, ho, don't you know? We have cameras installed all over the city in places where you would least expect it!"  
Takumi saw, first the first time, a small circular hole on the side of a nearby fountain. Transparent in color, it obviously served as a sort of camera. _So that's why there are fountains all over this place! _Takumi thought, _Not just as some decoration! The city gates probably had cameras installed inside of them too . . . _

Ogremon turned to the Elder. "Well? I think _that's _grounds enough to arrest them all."  
But the Elder was not going to be defeated so easily. "Not all of them were involved in the fight. Only Hia - Takumimon and Kibamon." He motioned towards "Takumimon" and Kibamon, who in their evolved forms had battled yesterday. "And besides," he added, "the battle took outside the city gates."

But Ogremon had other tricks up his sleeve. "You seem to be forgetting the battle that took place two days ago, when a wild Digimon attacked the city and _all _of them fought against it."  
"But it was a _wild_ Digimon! It would have destroyed the city!"  
"Only members of the city police force are authorized to battle," Ogremon explained. He was clearly a walking law book. "You do _have_ a police force, don't you?"  
"Yes, but - but -"

"_And_ they destroyed a camera yesterday in their battle, even though it was outside of the city gates," said Ogremon with a tone of finality. "And destroying a camera installed by the government is a federal offense. I think I have grounds enough to arrest them."  
"Who sent you?" the Elder snarled.

"MarineDevimon of the Daemon Corps himself," Ogremon would-have-could-he-have-grinned.

The Elder sighed, then gazed towards the digital humans, whose hearts were sinking. "I'm sorry," he said. "But I have no control over the world government."

Ogremon, happy to arrest someone, motioned for the five Digimon to come forward. "Now," he said, pointing at Hiamon. "You can fly. So I will ride on your back while I tell you the directions to your temporary punishment place."  
"What temporary punishment?" demanded Kibamon. "You can't do this!"  
"I can, and I will," Ogremon said. "But don't worry. You will be serving the four Digital Guardians for a week and assist them in the construction of a very valuable little - _er, _object. Afterwards, you will be released."  
The Genesis Team all stared back at the Elder, who was helpless. The poor tiger Digimon looked as though he were ready to cry.

Hiamon walked over to the Elder. "I know that we will meet again," he said. "We'll be back. It's just for one week. Promise."  
The Elder sighed; his eyes pleaded for them to stay, but they could not, for Ogremon grabbed Hiamon by the arm and ordered him to fly.

"Come on, we don't have all day! I have a tight schedule!"

And so, the Genesis Team, observed closely by the virus type Ogremon, journeyed off to yet another faraway land, after wishing the Elder good-bye. As the law Digimon poked him in the head with his spiked club, Hiamon thought back to their visit to Civil City, and their friendship with the Elder. He looked back at Civil City, which was shrinking smaller and smaller, until finally it was a small dot on the digital landscape. Hiamon had a feeling of imprisonment and weakness, but he had no reason to fear - in his heart, he knew he would see Civil City, and the Elder again. And they, the Genesis Team, would overthrow the evil government of the Digital World . . . the Elder, and all of Civil City, depended on it . . .

_Next time on Digimon Genesis!_

The Genesis Team arrive far from where they would like to be, in a lonely little camp where they and other prisoners, who were arrested for equally unfair reasons, are put to work at building a seemingly useless stone. But there, they gain friends among their fellow prisoners, but find that, one by one, they disappear, and no one has a trace of where they are! Only the Genesis Team can unlock the mystery of:  
  
THE INSANITY OF PHELESMON

"We have to protect Angemon," Reina decided. "He's our friend, and if he's going, we're going too!" 

_Coming soon!_


	28. Death Camp

__

Note: Due to the length of the chapter I was writing, I split "The Insanity of Phelesmon" into two parts: Chapter 28, "Death Camp," and, coming soon, Chapter 29, "The Insanity of Phelesmon" (because I can't waste such an awesome title).

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon. A guy from Hong Kong named Akiyoshi Hongo does. But who is he? No one knows.

Previously on Digimon Genesis . . . Hiamon digivolved to his ultimate form of Radiatimon. After a brief clash between the ultimates, the Genesis Team were arrested for fighting in the city! Now they're off to who knows where, led by a slobbering Ogremon!

****

DIGIMON GENESIS

CHAPTER 28

DEATH CAMP

Hiamon flew at a near ninety miles per hour. His wings were tired and he was breathing rapidly, but he had more than enough strength to complete the journey from Civil City to his destination, the land of the four guardians of the Digital World - wherever that was. Atop him stood a hyperactive Ogremon. The ugly monster, unable to fly, had climbed on Hiamon's back, partially to give directions, but mostly because he wanted an exciting ride. The directions he gave were vague. Unfortunately for the dragon Digimon, Ogremon jabbed him in the back with his spike club every time he made a wrong turn, flew badly, or 'growled funnily'. The club did not hurt, but the constant tap on his already sore neck was annoying. At the present moment the ogre was again jabbing him in the neck, not as a punishment for a wrong turn, but as a signal to go faster. Hiamon did as instructed, not to give Ogremon pleasure, but to fly so fast that the ugly officer would fall off. At least, that was what he would have liked to do, but he feared that this move would result in an even more severe punishment, with an infinite term in prison. Hiamon was going very fast, but this high speed still did not satisfy his captor. His repulsive white hair blowing in the wind behind him, Ogremon delivered another jab to the back.

"You think that's fast!?" spat Ogremon in the wind. He wiped the spittle off his face, then exclaimed: "You're even slower than the staff at the Dimensional Affairs building! You - _GAAH!_"

Hiamon did not go any faster, but he had almost bucked off his annoying rider. Having no intention of getting themselves in more trouble, the dragon made sure that his captor would slide right off his back and would land on his behind. Hiamon tossed Ogremon on his back again with the swish of a tail. And though Ogremon gave Hiamon a powerful wallop on the neck with his bone club, the villain did not ask for a speedier ride for the remainder of the trip. Hiamon turned his hood to the left. Alongside of him was Mikemon riding on Mekanorimon and Suraiimon on Hypothermon (Ogremon had ordered him to evolve to his ultimate level so he could fly). At this moment he wished Ogremon had chosen to fly on someone else. _Being big has its disadvantages, _he thought sadly, as his rider tapped him lightly on the neck.

"Hey!" he shouted scratchily. "We'll be there soon! You might want to think about landing!"  
"Already thought of it," grinned Hiamon evilly. What he had in mind was a nose-dive, one that would knock Ogremon off when they landed. The dragon swooped down, surprising the green ogre. 

"Hey!" he shouted in the wind as Hiamon jetted to the ground. Ogremon held on to the dragon's neck for dear life, crying and babbling indistinctively. The others, who had been following Hiamon, flew down in pursuit, but none of them was as reckless as their leader, who nearly dropped his rider as he neared their destination. Ogremon whined and screamed, and when they did land - in the middle of a desert - Hiamon really did drop Ogremon, who ended up swallowing a quart's worth of sand (but that could not be avoided, for Ogremon's mouth seemed impossible to close). The poor law officer was found sputtering and coughing when the others landed by his side. Hiamon stood up on two legs and dusted the dirt off his body, allowing the desert winds to blow it in Ogremon's face. He half expected a punishment from him, but in fact the ogre was grateful for the ride and did not strike him.

"I should let you free for a while, and your punishment will be having to give me free rides!" he laughed maniacally, clearly not grasping that Hiamon had intentionally dumped him. Then he walked around dizzily, saying things like "Some ride" every once in a while, and acting like a dazed child who had just got off of a roller coaster. Hiamon did not dare dedigivolve to human form. Instead he and the others looked around. There was not much to see, which was fortunate, for the desert winds kept blowing sand in his eyes.

"Looks like the middle of no where," Reina observed, as Suraiimon. Hiamon nodded. It reminded him of the desert they came to when they first entered the Digital World. Now that seemed so long ago, like a dream . . .

"Well, this certainly will delay our trip to Midgard City," Hiamon said with a tinge of anger in his voice. Nothing, _nothing_ had gone right this whole stupid trip.

"Shh!" Mekanorimon warned. "Ogremon will hear you!"  
"Oh, I don't care about that stupid old idiot," Hiamon decided, with a glance at Ogremon, who was still coughing up sand and walking around dizzily. Hypothermon used this time to dedigivolve to human, then use his D-Monster to evolve to Kibamon, who required less energy than his powerful ultimate form. During this moment, a god-like voice spoke from the sky, and with it came a bolt of thunder. The Genesis Team cautiously stood on the ground, bewildered at the voice, who said:  
"Welcome, fellow Digimon. You do not know how proud I am to see you here today. Rarely do I see such strong creatures wishing to help us!" The voice was one of peace, but to Ogremon, it was one of power. Sand spilling from his mouth like drool, he kneeled down to the possessor of the voice as the people of Civil City had kneeled down to the Elder.

"Holy, holy Azulongmon, guardian of the Eastern Digital World, all Digimon kneel to you. You are the Elder of Elders, the keeper of all that is good and sacred of this world. A thousand of me, nor even a million of me, rivals you in power. May your eternal glory never perish!" Then the Genesis Team saw something in the dark sky, thin and indistinct at first, then thick and distinct. A long, long, _long_ blue dragon was floating in the clouds above them. He wore a blue helmet with a thunder bolt protruding from it. He was covered in chains and surrounded by little blue orbs. Possibly the most recognizable feature, beside of his great body, was his long, silvery beard. His six red eyes scanned the ground, eyeing the six tiny figures below him. It was no wonder Ogremon treated him like a god.

Suraiimon scanned him. "Azulongmon, mega level, data type. His special attack to Sourai." The red fox Digimon looked up. "There's that mega level again. What is it?" Ogremon turned to Suraiimon and cuffed his evil green hands into fists.

"Fool! Mega is the highest level, the level beyond ultimate. King Daemon is that level, as is the great Azulongmon." He looked back up at the dragon. "Pardon her ignorance, Sir, but she's only a vaccine type."  
The thunder dragon let out a great, thunderous laugh. Then he spoke with a voice that reminded Takumi of a wise old wizard. Whether he was actually wise or not was something they would soon find out.

"Are these new volunteers, Ogremon?" asked the thunder dragon, with an unsure look down at the Genesis Team. Ogremon twirled his long, white hair with his finger, and with a fake sigh, said:  
"'Fraid not, Azulongmon. They were arrested just this morning - for fighting in a city."  
"Oh, that's too bad," Said Azulongmon, not sounding sorry at all. "Er - if I may ask, which city?"  
"Civil," was the reply from Ogremon, who had put his large hands into his pockets. Azulongmon shook his head sadly. "Well, if you live in a city like _that_ it's no wonder you were fighting. Yes, some good, old-fashioned discipline for that whole town would do them well, especially for that disgraceful Elder."

"Sounds like you need some discipline yourself," muttered Hiamon under his breath. Ogremon placed his hands behind his head, as though relaxed. "It's a wonder they call it Civil City, huh, Azulongmon?" He laughed at his own joke, the dragon only too happy to join in. Hiamon folded his arms. He decided that Azulongmon wasn't that wise after all. He turned to Reina, who even as a fox looked disgusted at his words.

"I think this guy's just as crazy as Ogremon and SkullSatamon," Hiamon whispered in her ear, which drew a nod of agreement. After a few minutes of boring conversation between the guardian and Ogremon, the latter departed with a wave, off to other business of some sort.

"Well, they're all yours now, Azulongmon. Try to make their punishment as painful as possible!" He laughed as he turned away, making Takumi fear the worst discipline imaginable. But Azulongmon wanted his friend to remain longer.

"Er - are you sure you don't want to stay for lunch?" he asked at the departing ogre.

"Lunch?"  
"In our own cafeteria." With his head, Azulongmon motioned father into the middle of no where, beyond some rocky cliffs. Behind them must have been a cafeteria. Hiamon's stomach growled at the thought of food, but Ogremon's stomach underwent something similar to a barrel roll.

"No thanks," he declined, holding his belly as though it were about to turn inside out. "I - I already had lunch," he lied. "Well . . . think I'll be off to Midgard City . . . g'bye!" And with yet another wave he finally departed, forced to walk for miles to Midgard City - the place where Takumi yearned to go. Perhaps it was the desire to go with Ogremon that made him sad that he was leaving. Or maybe it was because they were now under the six watchful eyes of Azulongmon, thought Takumi thought it less likely for him to hurt them. This insecurity sent a shiver down Hiamon's spine. Even Azulongmon's optimistic voice wasn't enough to cure him of his fear.

"Hello, my friends!" the dragon said, towering over them all. "Well, I suppose it's best to get started now!" His eyes turned sad. "And in just a week, it'll be time to go! Oh, how sad!" He bowed his head. Hiamon felt like he would vomit. Now, Azulongmon was reminding him of a preschool teacher. Fake tears began to form in the dragon's six eyes, and in six seconds the six tears fell to the ground with a loud _SPLOOSH._ One of them Hiamon only barely dodged. After the guardian's mentally traumatizing fake crying session was through, Azulongmon got much more business-like. "Now! First you start building - er, after you meet with the other guardians."

"_Other_ guardians?" Kibamon said, his mouth dropping over. Hiamon knew that he and Kibamon were thinking along the same lines - _more_ preschool teachers. The first guardian led the Genesis Team through a canyon, where they saw three other beasts, some as great as Azulongmon. Their suspicions of preschool teachers were incorrect. The fourth guardian, Baihumon, was nothing like a preschool teacher. A large, blue and white tiger with large fangs, Baihumon was the most powerful of the guardians, as was revealed through Mekanorimon's scan:

"Baihumon, data-type. Mega level. The most powerful guardian, his attack is Kongou." He gawked at the tiger while the other guardians were scanned. A tree Digimon with two long-necked creatures protruding from it was the oldest guardian.

"Ebonwumon, vaccine type," Kibamon read from his D-Pendulum. "Mega level. Special attack: Mugen." A fiery, great bird Digimon was a virus type. Yuka scanned him.

"Zhuqiaomon, mega level, virus type. His special attack is Kouen." Hiamon scratched his head, peering around at the great Digimon.

"How are you supposed to remember all their names? Let's see . . . Azulongmon's the dragon, Baihumon's the tiger, Ebonwumon's the bird, and Zhuqiaomon is the tree guy. Right?" He pointed to each guardian as he spoke their name.

"Uh, Takumi, you mixed up the names. _Ebonwumon _is the tree lizard, and _Zhuqiaomon _is the bird," Mekanorimon quickly corrected. He had taken a great interest in Ebonwumon, and was asking him many questions about the ancient days.

"Oh, right," said an embarrassed Hiamon, going red in the face. Zhuqiaomon flew near Hiamon.

"Virus type, eh?" he said after (apparently) smelling him. "Well, then, it's a pleasure to meet you!"  
"Uh - pleasure to meet you too," said Hiamon awkwardly. He was a bit fumed at the fact that he, of all types, was a virus type. The other virus types of the group seemed to share the same feelings. Kibamon quickly recognized the connection between type and respect. It was a pleasure for Zhuqiaomon to meet Hiamon, Kibamon, Mekanorimon, and Mikemon, but Suraiimon only received a disappointing nod when she was introduced. After conversing with the four guardians (who were all very nice, to the virus types) Azulongmon led them to their camp: A barren wasteland in a valley of rocks. There, they were given instructions on what they were to do for the next seven days. There, Azulongmon talked to them in a much more businesslike manner than ever before.

"Now, for the next week you shall be assisting us guardians and other fugitives like yourselves in the construction of four very valuable objects. No questions are to be asked surrounding their purpose or anything else. You are to work tirelessly and productively. Failure to comply with these rules will result in two weeks' time in our very own jailhouse!" Azulongmon gestured with his head towards the camp. "Is that clear?" Hiamon and the others nodded, wondering what they would be constructing. It turned out to be four extremely large black stones - some as big as Ebonwumon. The Genesis Team dropped their mouths in awe. Two stones were completed, one was halfway done, and the fourth had just been started - and by the looks of it, it would not be finished for a long, long time.

"So . . . what do we do?" said Suraiimon, looking around at the gigantic boulders.

"Do? You are supposed to chip off boulders from that mountain." Azulongmon showed them a tall pile of dark rocks. Some Digimon, no doubt also prisoners, were beginning to transfer the rocks from the pile to the third and fourth stones, making sure to compress them so it looked whole. Zhuqiaomon was supervising them.

"Don't be a fool, Greymon!" he scowled at an orange dinosaur Digimon. "You're not anywhere _near_ finished!" Azulongmon turned to the Genesis Team.

"Well, off you go!" he said, sounding as though they were going to an amusement park. But it was far from an amusement park, as Takumi soon learned. The task, though it was good exercise, was very boring. Furthermore, Takumi had to be in his Digimon form the whole time to avoid being caught as a human, and it was hardly trivial to pick up huge rocks when you only had three _claws_ on each hand. He later found himself picking up the rocks with his mouth, but that also proved ill; he ended up swallowing some of the dirt. He was always moving, and ended up getting a headache near the end of his work. His friends, who he bumped heads with as they fought for the bigger rocks, did not find the task any easier. Kibamon and Suraiimon had the same problem carrying the dirt as Hiamon did, and Mikemon was just not built for lifting 100-pound rocks. The only one of their number who did not seem to have any trouble was Mekanorimon, who was built (literally) for carrying and traveling. The only thrill that Takumi received from all this character-building was seeing all the new Digimon. Though the prisoners at the camp were of a small number (and even smaller for Digimon standards) the creatures themselves made up for it. When Zhuqiaomon turned away from them, Takumi took the chance to talk to Ryota about them. Hiamon flew near the ground, gliding over his friend as he went to retrieve more rocks.

"You know what? I've noticed something . . ." the dragon began.

"What?"

"Look at the other Digimon at this camp. I've noticed something," he repeated.

"Well, don't leave me hanging in suspense," growled Kibamon. "What've you noticed?"

"Only a very small number here are virus-types," Hiamon stated. Kibamon looked up as a dinosaur Digimon with a hard shell and a large horn accidentally collided with a huge, blue-gray bug. "Not including us," the dragon added quickly, "but we shouldn't count."  
"Yeah . . . so?"  
"So! Don't you get it? It's a biased system of law!" shouted Hiamon, so loudly that the MetalGreymon behind him could hear. Kibamon, however, remained uninterested. 

"How do you know that most of them are not virus types?"

"I used my D-Pendulum, of course. See, only Devimon -" He pointed to a black Digimon with ripped-up wings, "and SkullGreymon -" (a vicious, living dinosaur skeleton) - "are virus types." Kibamon shrugged, as though it were not his concern.

"Oh well. What can you expect, with a king who hates hu -" A long pause.

"Yeah?"  
More silence.

"Well? What were you saying about the king hating humans? Hello? Kibamon?" Still no answer. His friend looked like he could not hear nor see him. Only when a shadow loomed over him did he realized why Kibamon had ceased speaking. Zhuqiaomon was watching them through his six red eyes. Fortunately, he did not say anything to them - he only yelled at an Airdramon for flying funnily. And so they stopped talking altogether and continued their work. In that time, another four hours passed, and by the end of it Takumi felt weaker, angrier, and hungrier than ever.

***

At seven o'clock it was finally time for dinner. Shun read the time on his D-Pendulum, but the Genesis Team could care less for the hour. Food, even if it was horrible food, was the only thing they cared about. The group was one of the last in line to get their meal, but that didn't matter either: The line was quick because there were so few Digimon. Most of them ordered only small amounts of meat, save a very hungry Devimon (who purchased three plates' full). Minutes later Takumi confirmed that Devimon was crazy. What they were being served (by old, hag-like Digimon, no less) looked like a glop of brown goo with purple rice in it. An ugly-faced creature named Babamon gave them one scoop of the stuff, and Ryota just about went sick. As they sat down at their table next to an angelic monster, he vowed not to even touch it. But hunger swayed him, and though the food was far from appetizing, the group was soon filled up.

Since they were still in their animal-like Digimon forms, it was very difficult to carry plates, and accidents could not easily be avoided. Just as he was getting up from his seat, Mekanorimon fumbled with his plate and finally dropped it on the angel. Fortunately, there was not much left on the plate to drop, and the angel monster was very pleasant about the whole thing.

"Accidents happen," he said dismissively, sweeping up the glop back on the plate, which he handed back to Mekanorimon. The robot thanked the monster, who introduced himself as Angemon. Like Suraiimon, he was a vaccine type.

"Well, an angel Digimon like you just _couldn't_ be a virus type," laughed Mekanorimon when he returned from the trash can. Angemon frowned.

"Just don't let them here you say that," he whispered softly to the group. Takumi looked over at the far end of the cafeteria, and there was Zhuqiaomon, plain as day, laughing at a joke with Devimon and SkullGreymon. How he fit inside the cafeteria was a mystery.

"Powerful Digimon like the guardians have the power to increase or decrease their size," Angemon explained at their curious faces. He turned back to Mekanorimon. "Pardon me, but aren't all Mekanorimon virus-types?"

"Yes, but . . ." Mekanorimon looked around with caution. "We're not so fond of them . . ."  
"Shun! I mean, Mekanorimon, be quiet!" Hiamon whispered.

"It's all right." Angemon softened his voice again. "Nearly all vaccine and date types don't like them very much." He motioned towards a door. "Want to go outside? Right now's our free hour, then we all have to go to bed."  
"Sure," chorused the group. They were eager to speak with a vaccine type, someone who was probably in their same situation. So off they marched, following Angemon outside into the desert wilderness. From the door of the cafeteria was a small patio, with benches for Digimon to sit on. Across from it was a long building with barred windows - obviously bedrooms for the prisoners. No doubt it reminded Shun of juvenile hall. About three hundred feet away from these structures sat another building. One story high and very run-down, it looked small and lonely in the evening darkness. This sent a shiver down Takumi's spine; it reminded him of a ghost town, but it was something more than that . . . it was as though he had seen this little building before, somewhere in a nightmare. But the building itself was not at all scary on the outside.

_Odd,_ Takumi thought as Angemon led them between the cafeteria and the other building and into the wide, open desert space. A gust of wind blew sand everywhere, making him feel grateful that he had not been walking against it. When they had arrived near a large mound of sand, their newfound friend looked around, making sure they were out of earshot of the guardians (who were still in the cafeteria).

Angemon kicked a pile of sand, which blew away in the wind. Facing the Genesis Team, he asked, "So, where do you come from? How did you get here?"  
"Bad experiences," said Kibamon. "I, er, fought in a city with Hiamon." He glanced at the dragon. Angemon frowned.

"You fought _with_ Hiamon?" he asked. 

"Er - yes. I mean, not _against_ him, _with_ him - against a Golemon."  
"With some help from us," added Mikemon, continuing with Kibamon's swift cover-up. If he had let out that Radiatimon and Hypothermon had fought against each other in a city, then they would have a lot of explaining to do - and the Team still did not know what Angemon thought - or once thought - of humans. Being a vaccine type, he probably respected humans, but they couldn't be too sure.

"Yes," said Kibamon, "we fought in a city, trying to defend it, and then we get arrested." This was true, it was one of the items Hiamon had charged them with.

"Oh, really?" said the Angemon sadly. "I was brought here on a similar charge. Er, do you mind if I ask you what city you fought in?"  
"Civil City," was the reply from Suraiimon.

"Really? Well, what a coincidence! I come from Midgard City!"  
This was too much for Hiamon to handle: What luck! Someone from Midgard City! in his joy, he foolishly asked Angemon a daring question: "Did you know my father? I think he lived in Midgard City! So, did you know him? His name was Kairu Hito, he was -" He said this all very fast, but was cut short by Angemon, who held a hand up to silence him. Meanwhile, the other digital humans had nearly collapsed in exasperation. Kibamon thought quickly to avoid Hiamon from opening his mouth again.

"Wait a minute, how's that a coincidence, you know, you coming from Midgard City?" Angemon turned to Kibamon, who Hiamon had knocked to the ground in his need for answers.

"It's a coincidence," he said, "because Civil and Midgard are the only human-loving cities left. They're like brothers. But . . . I believe your friend wanted to ask me something . . . ?" Hiamon was on his knees, his hands folded pleadingly.

"My father! did you know him - lived in Midgard - name was Kairu Hito - killed in the First Slaughter?" Angemon did not understand, so Hiamon asked his question once again as his fellow group members sighed in disbelief. After the question was presented, once more, much slowly. Angemon scratched his chin and thought. "Your father . . . you said his name was . . ."  
"Kairu Hito."  
"Kairu Hito? Does that mean your father was a human and your mother a Digimon?" More sighs from the group. This would lead to the ultimate question . . .

"No, no, no! Both my parents were humans!"  
"But wait . . . doesn't that mean - but you're . . ." In a few minutes, the truth was unveiled: The Genesis Team reluctantly told the story of how they had been chosen by the Shadow Gang, how Kairu and his friends got to the Digital World, and their sad demise, and how they had really got to the prison camp. When the story had been thoroughly told, nearly an hour had passed and it was growing considerably darker.

"Hmm," said Angemon, "that is a long story, and in parts confusing and unbelievable . . ."  
"WHAT!?" shouted Hiamon. "What do you mean, you don't believe it? We've got proof! Look here, I'll just use my D-Monster and turn myself back into a human!"

"Wait, wait!" Angemon shouted, holding up both arms for silence. "I believe your story, and I believe that you are really humans - unreal though it may seem - but don't transform to a human in this place - the guardians would kill you! They hate - or rather, hated - humans!"

"We know, we know," Mikemon whispered. She looked around at the fear of being overheard. "The Elder in Civil City told us about Daemon and the Slaughter. They were terrible," she said softly. Angemon nodded and turned to the group with a sober expression on his face.

"Yes. They were very terrible. As you may have heard, the cities of Midgard and Civil are the only two cities who oppose Daemon. Daemon says that he is their ruler, but they do not consider themselves subjects under him. I know I don't." He sighed, and in the evening desert wind, his angelic body seemed more majestic than ever. "In fact, it was because I opposed Daemon that I was sent to this camp in the first place. You say you have to spend a week here? Even though they have found no evidence of my opposition of Daemon, they wouldn't let me go that easily - I have already stayed here six months. I have another four and a half to go."

The Genesis Team were appalled at this revelation. And they though that _they_ had it bad.

"What did you get arrested for?" asked Ryota. "I mean, how did you "oppose" King Daemon?"  
"Don't call him that," whispered Angemon. "He's not _my_ king. As for your question, they charged me with trying to create a rebellion against Daemon and his officials." The angel Digimon grew very quiet as he stood rooted in the sand. "It was true, of course - but _they _don't know that. They didn't have any evidence. But they would have liked to have me killed."  
"Who's _they_?" asked Hiamon.

"MarineDevimon's law officers. He has them on land, on sea, and in the sky. When they don't spot trouble, he sees it through cameras he puts in secret places - even in Civil and Midgard City. If you're in front of a camera, you can't criticize Daemon or his administration, nor do anything that he deems illegal. For example, he doesn't allow Digimon of different types to attend the same schools."

"That's awful," muttered Suraiimon.

"Not really," muttered Hiamon in return.

Angemon let out a loud, long sigh. "Anyway, the law officers wanted me dead. They sent me to some of the highest courts in this world. I was a court away from SkullSatamon. But then a judge ordered that I go to this camp to assist the digital guardians in constructing. While this place is boring and I am worried about my life, I am mostly worried about my army."  
"Your army?" said Mekanorimon.

"Well, I started working on it when I digivolved to this form - I couldn't let others pick on me - or anyone in the town. When a law officer whipped an innocent Digimon, I stepped in and killed the officer. Others in the city were impressed, and they offered to join me in my little crusade against the officials. Well, before long, half the city was under my belt. Which isn't bad, when I'm only five years old."

The sound of five mouths dropping to the ground was great. "You're only _FIVE_!?" exclaimed Mikemon. "_I'm_ older than you!"

Angemon chuckled. "Digimon age faster than humans, and we also live a lot longer. We become adults when we digivolve to champion at the age of five. To go ultimate, you must win a lot of battles. Mega requires a combination of weird things, but it's possible for a Digimon to be a mega at the age of five." More stunned looks. "But, that's extremely rare," he added. "And, of course, not all Digimon evolve to ultimate." He laughed. "The last Elder in Midgard City was a champion Digimon!"

The revelation of Angemon's young age, though it may have been humorous for the rest of the group, was not at all funny to Hiamon. Being only five, there was no chance of Angemon knowing his father.

"Our current Elder, you see, is -"

_BOOM!_

Hiamon covered his eyes instinctively; there was a huge flash of what looked like lightning, then a massive explosion. The dragon could feel the temperature boiling - to him it felt good, but to Kibamon it probably felt like a thousand knives. When Hiamon opened his eyes, his friends were crouching down, still in their Digimon forms, and looking very much afraid. From the cafeteria was another thunderous boom, then Zhuqiaomon, who had expanded to the size of a skyscraper, appeared from a cloud of smoke. The bird Digimon laughed loudly. Then he spread his mighty wings over the camp. After all was calm, there was clapping from all the Digimon prisoners, then a flash of red, followed my more of Zhuqiaomon's laughter. Hiamon breathed a sigh of relief. The flashes and the heat and the lightning had all been Zhuqiaomon's idea of a show. When the performance was over, it was followed by more clapping and cheering. Only now did Hiamon realize that they were not the only ones outside: A hundred feet away from them were other prisoners, talking and joking with their roommates. But now all was quiet, and every set of eyes were on Zhuqiaomon. The great bird Digimon waited for the effect of his show to wear off, then gave a long speech to the prisoners.

"Hello, the other guardians and I wish you welcome to Purification Camp," he said in a booming voice, "so named that it will purify your souls and expel all evilness from your body." This reminded Takumi of an annoying women's shampoo commercial two years back. "Most of you shall be staying here at this camp for one week, some of you more, due to more severe charges. At Purification Camp, we offer a thorough discipline course. When you are released from this camp, you will no longer have any desire to break any laws. In fact, you will want to stay here, forever!" Another laugh, but then he narrowed his four thin eyes and gazed around at the crowd in a vulture-like manner. "But some of you do not want to stay here. Some of you want to distance yourself away from this place as far as possible. Yes, I know that." Now he spoke barely more than a growl. "You will find that there are no guards or gates to keep you from doing just that." He smiled grimly. "We don't need them. Since Purification Camp opened about, oh, ten years ago, we have only had two prisoners try to escape. One of them I caught with ease, then I roasted him with my fire attack. And let me tell you - he never saw freedom - then again, he never saw anything else either!" 

He let out another loud laugh, but the prisoners did not join him. Now they were whispering amongst themselves, clearly fearful of the guardians. Now Hiamon could see why there had been only two people who had attempted to escape - the threat of being roasted alone was enough to keep _anyone_ from staying within the boundaries.

Suraiimon turned to Angemon. "He doesn't really mean that, does he?"  
Angemon gritted his teeth. "I don't think he's bluffing. He tells that story every week, and I don't remember seeing any gates when I came here."

"I wonder if the prisoner who was killed was also put in here unfairly," said Mikemon gloomily.

"No doubt," replied Mekanorimon.

Zhuqiaomon continued with his speech. "From the time you get up to the time you get dinner, you will work. Afterwards, you will get a 'free hour'. We do have curfew, and when the hour is over you will be escorted to your rooms. Anyone who refuses to go to sleep will be _put_ to sleep - permanently. Any horseplay or rule-breaking will result in another week of work. I don't expect to be seeing any of those problems. Isn't that right, _Airdramon_?" He turned to a blue dragon Digimon with a skull helmet, orange wings, and no legs. His eyes seemed dark and fathomless, as though he had no will to live. The poor creature nodded in reply.

"Good," said Zhuqiaomon. He lowered his fiery head, and for a moment it seemed like his eyes were on everyone. "We should get along just fine."

This reminded Hiamon of a surly English teacher he had back in the fifth grade, who at the beginning of the year said, "We'll get along just fine" - and the year turned out to be the worst he ever had, ending with him just barely passing the class.

Zhuqiaomon laughed, then floated away over the buildings. The crowd of Digimon were silent at his departure, but when he was out of sight a huge conversation between all of them erupted - about the camp, and the guardians. But even though they were out of Zhuqiaomon's eyesight, something told Hiamon that he wasn't far away. He would be back soon, and they would be under his yellow beak and his four red eyes for the next six days.

Suddenly, a clanging of bells interrupted his thoughts. Coming between the cafeteria and the prisoner's rooms was a bug Digimon, ringing a bell with his claws. He looked like a bee with fiery wings. "Curfew!" he yelled. "Curfew! Everyone to bed! New prisoners - come with me! Curfew! Curfew!" As the bells rang, the Digimon scampered to their rooms in fright. The speech seemed to have made an effect on them.

To the group's surprise, the Digimon with the bell glided over to them, clanging his bell all the while. He opened his red wings and smirked at them. "New prisoners?" he inquired in a gravelly voice. "Come with me . . . I'll guide you to your rooms . . ." He swooped over to Angemon and pressed his bee face an inch away from the angel's helmet. "Angemon?" His smirk faded. "You know where to go! Get on with it!"

Angemon nodded with gritted teeth. "Yes, I know," he said, with a slight tinge of anger in his voice. He gave one final look at the children and departed to his room. The insectoid Digimon's eyes followed him into the building across from the cafeteria. When the Team's newfound friend had disappeared inside of it, the smirk on the Digimon's face reappeared. He turned to the group.

"Now, you are under the supervision of one of the Digital World's finest disciplinary camps. We expect no funny business here. If you choose to act up, then you will cease to be." He said this all in a no-nonsense, business-like tone not unlike that of Zhuqiaomon. And even though Hiamon found that the Digimon, who they later identified as Shadramon, was much shorter than he was, he quickly guessed that he was not one to cross. As the dragon wondered who his least favorite person was in the camp - Zhuqiaomon or Shadramon - they were led to the old, run-down building that Hiamon had glimpsed earlier. It was not too far from where they were speaking with Angemon. When he caught sight of it again, strange scents filled his nostrils. Although he could not pinpoint what they were exactly, he found the smell foul: like rotten eggs. Having more powerful smell in his Digimon form did not help, it only made the smell more odious.

"Now, this is where you'll be spending your hours outside of work," explained the Shadramon. "If you fail to comply with the rules, you will be punished severely by . . ." And on and on he went. It reminded Hiamon of the first week of school: Going over rule after rule in ever single class. Turning to Mekanorimon, who was standing attentively by the door of the little building, he wondered if he was told this during the first day at juvenile hall.

_That's right,_ Hiamon thought, _while this is only our second time of going to prison, that's Shun's third . . . in less than a month! Must be a record._

Shadramon droned on and on and on, listing stupid rules with laughable consequences - ". . . or you will be boiled in a pot of lava . . .", finally ending with Rule #66, "No throwing ball-shaped objects". At last the insect closed the old book from which he was reading the rules from and climbed the steps of the building's door. It was an awfully lonely place, with one window - a tiny little circular one. The building was only a single story high, and, to Hiamon's displeasure, probably no air conditioning. They were probably going to be the only prisoners staying in this place.

"Blasted key!" exclaimed the insect Digimon as he tried vainly to unlock the door. "Been so damn long that I been here that I can't even remember which key it was . . . aha! Here it is." In his hands he fumbled with a small, brown, dusty key.

"Why has it been so long since you've been here?" asked Reina as he inserted the key into the lock. Exactly the question Hiamon wanted to ask: Why hadn't Shadramon, one of Zhuqiaomon's closest helpers, been inside a main area of the camp for so long?  
"'Cause," was the reply, and 'cause' was all. Finally the door opened, and the various large Digimon scrambled to get through it.

"Now, hold on here!" shouted Shadramon, who got their attention by opening two pods on his arms. "How do you expect to control your wild behaviors if you don't even know how to get in a _single-file line_?! Now, you first, Mr. Robot! Everyone! Get behind this fellow here!" Obediently, they formed a (more or less) single-file line behind Mekanorimon, who get behind Shadramon as he opened the heavy door for them.

"_Now_ you may get in," sighed the Shadramon with the air of a kindergarten teacher who had just calmed down her students. And so they were about to get in, until Shun conveniently found a black camera-like object, attached to the entrance wall. Coming from it were long, dark wires that seemed never to end.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Move!" The kindergarten teacher was now trying to get them to move. Apparently both Shadramon and Shun's group members were not patient.

"What's that?" Shun asked, pointing to the strange object on the wall.

"Huh?" said Shadramon, looking confused, then smiling grimly. "Oh no, we can't afford to put a camera in _every_ room. You see, this camp was founded about ten years ago . . ." It did not take Hiamon long to figure out what he was about to say. ". . . During the time of the Slaughters. The guardians allowed King Piedmon and King Daemon to use their land for the death camps. They built all sorts of buildings like these and put the humans in them. And then . . ." He smiled at the objects. Patting one with his armored hand, he continued, "Yep, these are Anti-Digital Destroyers. Non-digital entities are placed in here, then _these_ are turned on . . ." To their horror, he pressed a black button on the Destroyer. A terrible swooshing noise filled the room, blowing chilly air down their spines. Black, white, and purple lines appeared, going from one end of the room to the next. For a moment, the room looked like one giant grid. 

With an unscrupulous grin, Shadramon stepped into the changed room and looked quite relaxed in the extreme cold. "Don't worry," he told them. "It won't hurt you. But if a non-digital being stepped in here . . . _ZAP!_ Instant human killer, saves time _and_ money. Come on, step inside . . . feels good!" He beckoned for Mekanorimon. Needless to say, he wasn't the least excited about stepping into a chamber that could very well delete him. He hesitated.

"Come on!" Shadramon shouted. Now it was no longer a request, but a command. Again, Mekanorimon, who was closest to the door, hesitated - while the rest of the group panicked. If the Anti-Digital Destroyer did kill Mekanorimon, not only would they lose a friend - but also their own lives. Shadramon would be very suspicious if the device deleted Mekanorimon when it only deleted humans and other non-digital beings.

With stupendous courage, the robot Digimon slowly stepped into the small room. The rest of the group watched in suspense as their friend placed two metal feet onto the hard wooden floor.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" said an unknowing Shadramon. Mekanorimon made a buzzing sound, having no head to nod. Amazingly, he had survived.

The sighs of relief from the Genesis Team were almost as loud as the air coming from the chamber. But the effect of the cool air must've worn off, for Shadramon turned it off a few seconds later.

"Now you know why I haven't been here in a while," he said, sweeping past the children. "Not a very popular place to spend the night. Digimon are afraid of sleeping here . . . bunch of idiots, if you ask me. But the camp is full now . . . we usually don't get this many prisoners. Bunch of people breaking the law now, thinking they're above King Daemon's petty rules. Anyway, here's the key." After searching under his armor, he retrieved a black key and a small pamphlet. To Mikemon he gave it.

Now on the ground, Shadramon continued to speak, but in a more business-like tone. "All these rules that I have described before you apply here. Although it looks small, this place is actually quite roomy." He turned away from them and looked back at the main building. "I must be going now. Good-night, and take care."

"Bye!" they all said to the insect Digimon, but only when he was out of eyesight did they enter the little building.

"Brr! It's freezing in here!" complained Suraiimon, the last one to enter the room. She shut the door behind her with her tail. "And I've got a heavy coat of fur!" The door firmly shut behind her, she transformed back into a human, much to Kibamon's alarm.

"No! What are you doing!?" he cried, finding a towel to cover up the single window. "If they see you -"

"Oh, don't be so overprotective," said Reina, brushing back her long brown hair. "You sound like my mom."  
Kibamon paced back and forth in the small room. "But what if there's a camera? There _must_ be a camera, so guys like Shadramon can make sure we're not doing anything funny!"

"No, there's not," assured a human Yuka, sitting cozily in a big green chair in the middle of the room, reading a pamphlet. "Shadramon said there wasn't one. He said they couldn't afford it."  
"Oh, that's bull!" exclaimed the snow leopard. "This camp is _run_ by the Digital Guardians - they probably have entire _rooms_ full of money. And besides, why would you believe _Shadramon_?"

"You can look for a camera if you want," replied Yuka, without looking up, "but you won't find anything." Kibamon grumbled, but for comfort's sake he transformed back into a human. Through familiar eyes he saw that the room they were in was very dark. The only light came from the single window and some candles, including one on an end table which allowed Yuka to read. He let out a loud yawn.

"I'm going to bed," he declared, not having the slightest inclination to search for a hidden camera. Now that he succumbed to sleepiness, his mind became foggy and unwilling to work out problems - except for the problem that there was nothing to sleep _on. _"This is going to be a long night," he said in a growl more intimidating than Kibamon's.

"There may be something in here," said Takumi, grasping the doorknob of a closet in the left corner of the room. To his surprise, there _was_ something in there, and in seconds it had spilled out over him. He found it quite hard to get out from under the mountain of blankets, pillows, and sheets. He emerged with a grin on his face. "Hey! Pillows!" he exclaimed, before tripping on a blanket and nearly falling on top of a candle.

"Hard pillows," muttered Reina in displeasure.

"Aw, be happy with what you have," groaned Shun, who was already settling down to go to sleep. "Good night." The others followed his example, with the exception of Takumi and Yuka. The latter remained in her chair, reading the pamphlet with interest. The former walked around the room in a clumsy manner, examining the smallest details. It disturbed him that the others were sleeping peacefully in a room where many humans had met their demise. He wondered if this room was the last place his father had stayed . . . the thought frightened him. He checked the door. It was locked, but he knew the most powerful Digimon wouldn't think to use it. 

Perhaps the most eerie thing in the room was the Anti-Digital Destroyer. Everyone had their own theories as to why Shun had survived the deadly machine. The boy's own theory was probably the most accurate: Because he was infused with Mekanorimon's data, the device couldn't delete him because he was not completely human. Reina suggested that the machine, do to its age, had not been working properly, while Ryota believed that he wasn't deleted because, at the time, Shun had not been in human form. Perhaps it was a combination of these things, and, maybe it was none of them. All Takumi knew was that as long as it was present in the room, he would not enjoy his stay. He looked from the black box to the empty blanket on the floor, spread out just for him. Not wishing to turn down this invitation, he happily sank onto his pillow and under his sheets, Shun sound asleep next to him. The room, much like the outside, was very cold, but Takumi would not let that stop him from sleeping peacefully.

Yuka remained awake, still reading the pamphlet without the slightest disturbance.

"She's an odd girl," thought Takumi as he closed his eyes. Six minutes later he was asleep.

* * *

Takumi's dreams that night were wild and strange, but when he woke up some time later he could not remember them. No matter, for the next few minutes were even wilder At least fifteen minutes had passed since he had fallen asleep, for Yuka was no longer in her chair. But in reality a much greater time had elapsed, and to Takumi's knowledge he was the only one awake. The first thing that stood out was that it was very dark inside - the darkest that Takumi had ever seen in the Digital World. The last of the candles had gone out. It was eerie, being the only one awake - he felt so alone, as if the others had gone to some far-away place.

_SQUAWK!_

Takumi was up in a heartbeat - which for Takumi was now a thousand times a minute. _That'll get the others awake,_ he thought, almost hoping for another loud sound. But to his disappointment, the others - who he could not see - did not budge. Alone, he crept to the covered-up window, the only source of light. He carelessly stripped off the towel that Ryota used to cover the window and threw it away. His eyes bulging with anticipation, he pressed his nose to the window and looked to see where the sound may have come from. Outside, he saw the buildings, cloaked in darkness.

_SQUAWK!_

From out of the main building for prisoners came a red streak, which zipped up into the sky almost as quickly as it had came. Then there came moans, shouts, and screams. Then all was silent. Not stopping to blink, Takumi continued to watch, but it was almost as though the sounds had never been uttered. Had he imagined it all? After all, he was, now that he thought about it, half-asleep. He waited a few more moments, but nothing more happened. Growing tired and desperate to go back to sleep, he gave in to his desires and sank back into his pillow. For the rest of the night, he was not disturbed by any more strange sounds, and his dreams were peaceful. But outside the room, outside the camp, other things were not.

__

Next time on Digimon Genesis!

The Genesis Team continues their term at Purification Camp, only to find that some of their fellow prisoners are mysteriously disappearing. It's up to them to unravel the mystery of:  
  
THE INSANITY OF PHELESMON

"We have to protect Angemon," Reina decided. "He's our friend, and if he's going, we're going too!"

Well, stay tuned for the next chapter, and sorry for not getting this one out quickly. But I promise, promise, _promise_ that the next chapters will be out quickly! I want them all to arrive at Daemon's Palace by 2004. As always, please read and review - they're needed! So just click that little button down there, and give me your thoughts! I can't ever get enough of them. 


	29. Without a Trace

__

Okay . . . this is starting to be a habit. Not getting in chapters late but . . . not having "The Insanity of Phelesmon". So, again, _the _next_ chapter will be "The Insanity of Phelesmon", and this will be . . . something._

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon. Nor does him or you or Little Cindy Lu Pu.

Previously on Digimon Genesis . . . the Genesis Team were transferred to a camp run by the four great guardian Digimon!

****

DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER 29

WITHOUT A TRACE

The next morning the Team got up bright and early - not too bright, because of the never-ending darkness. Their early awakening was certainly not due to a good night's rest - at around six o'clock there was a ringing of many bells - the camp's idea of an alarm clock. After getting out from under the blanket (which Shun had stolen from Ryota while he was sleeping) all complained about the beastly hour. Takumi was the only one not to voice his opinion, though he was probably the most groggy. Not able to remember his earlier awakening in the middle of the night, he attributed his tiredness to going to bed at an unreasonable hour. He wanted very much to sleep late, but this was not the place for it. He followed his friends out the door, almost forgetting to transform into a Digimon, and within minutes found himself inside the cafeteria for breakfast.

Due to his previous encounter with the cafeteria food, Takumi, as Hiamon, almost skipped breakfast, like he had done many times before during the school year. But a growling stomach swayed him, and to his surprise the food wasn't half as bad as the dinner course, and this time it was familiar food: grits, eggs, applesauce, and toasted bread. To his horror he found on his plate something called 'artificial bacon' which he gladly gave to Shun.

"How can you eat all that stuff?" Hiamon asked in disgust as his companion bit into his second piece of the meat.

"Oh, it's not _that _bad," was the reply from Mekanorimon, who was sitting across from him. "You eat artificial food all the time - like candy." He stripped off the last piece. "Sure you don't want some?"  
"Ugh, no!" he declined, sticking out his tongue in repulse. 

"Suit yourself then."

"Hey, look! There's Angemon!" Suraiimon cried, looking up from her half-eaten food. Kibamon stopped playing around with his eggs to see the angel Digimon, who had just received his tray. The food on it was scant. Angemon sat down next to Suraiimon.

"Hello," he greeted, setting down his paper tray on the table. "Anything new?"  
"Nope," replied Mikemon, soaking her eggs in watery grits.

"Well then, everything's normal," the angel Digimon laughed. Hiamon looked up at him. His helmet covered his eyes, but it was evident from his unwashed hair and his breathing that he was very tired. News . . . he tried to remember a dream he had . . . something had happened in it . . . he couldn't remember it . . . oh well. He slurped up his eggs like a dog and watched with jealousy as Angemon used a fork and a knife. If only one of his Digimon forms were humanoid . . .

"I'm done with breakfast," the dragon declared, tired of eating like an animal (though that was really what he was). He got up and picked up his tray with his teeth. "I think I'll go throw this away now -"  
"No, don't," advised Angemon, "this isn't like dinner. There's no free hour, or anything like that. As soon as you throw your tray away, you're forced to stay outside and work all day . . ." As he was speaking, Angemon had no idea that a shadow was looming over him. He caught himself in mid-sentence and turned around to see the large red form of Zhuqiaomon glaring down at him.

"I'm sorry, Angemon," he said coldly, "but I believe that _working_ is just what this camp is for, is it not?" One of his four red eyes focused on Hiamon. "Done with your breakfast, are you? Then throw it away. It's pointless to stay around here, doing nothing." Zhuqiaomon had the amazing ability to sound annoyed and make you feel stupid at the same time - a gift that many of his teachers had. Obediently, the dragon Digimon nodded and turned away to throw his tray in the garbage can. As he was leaving the table, he heard Zhuqiaomon say to Angemon - ". . . I hope that some of our older members will be able to set a good example to some of our newer prisoners. I hope I am not disappointed. Don't give them any more stupid ideas, Angemon."

Hiamon was outside in less than five seconds, unable to bid his friends so much as a good-bye. In the unbearably hot desert, he thought with dread at all the work he would have to do before the day was out. The stones that they were trying to complete now seemed small and poorly composed, like a science project that had been put together at the last minute. He grumbled. Even though there was no sun it was humid and sticky. "Oh well," he thought, as he watched a beetle Digimon carry loads, "I won't get anywhere doing nothing. I'll just have to start working and then keep working until dinner. Then I'll do that the next day, and the next day, and the next day, and the next day, and the next day, and then we're free. Just like school." He collapsed to his knees, his reptilian brain rejecting his poor attempts at comforting himself.

At that moment the insectoid Digimon who had been carrying rocks came hurtling tot he ground. At the last second he straightened and landed on two feet, sending dirt everywhere when he hit the ground. Hiamon scratched at his eye to clear it of dust. "Oh, sorry," the bug apologized. "I didn't see you there . . ." He cocked his head. "Are you new here?"

"Yeah," was the reply. The storm of sand had been annoying, but it was nice to meet someone else out here. "Are you new here, too?"

The insect looked surprised, like he had been taken aback by the reply. "Yeah, this is only my third day. Hard work, isn't it? I wonder what it's all for?" He smiled as best as he could. He had a large beetle horn, a helmet, and four unnaturally long arms, but lacked eyes. When he smiled he looked like a fanged demon. His mouth was almost as intimidating as his horn.

"Yeah, it's really silly," said Hiamon, unsure of what to say. He stood back up and found that he was almost as tall as the beetle - but not quite. "By the way, what's your name?"  
"Uh - Kabuterimon. I'm a champion, insectoid Digimon."  
"Oh, okay. My name's Hiamon. I'm also a champion."

"Hiamon?" He seemed surprised again. He examined the dragon's front, then turned around to his back, as if he were unsure to believe it. Hiamon stood where he was, wondering if this was normal Digimon behavior. But after looking over him, Kabuterimon said nothing more. Hiamon wondered if he should do the same thing, but just as he was about to examine Kabuterimon's back, he confidence failed. He felt sure that whatever he did or said, it would end up being really stupid. He would just have to learn more about Digimon life and try to blend in.

"Nice morning, isn't it?" he said uncertainly, wishing they had something more to talk about.

"Yes, it's very cool," came the reply after his newfound friend looked skyward. "Perfect weather for flying. Have you ever seen me fly? In the air I'm great, I can do all sorts of attacks from above -"

"YOU THERE!"

In a matter of milliseconds, Hiamon found Zhuqiaomon at his feet, narrowing his eyes in disapproval at Kabuterimon. "Get back to work!" he ordered fiercely. Kabuterimon did not hesitate to move. As though he had just been stung by a bee, he stretched his wings and took off to continue working. The guardian smirked with pleasure as he flew away. "Isn't too hard to get Digimon to listen to you, eh?" he said, half to Hiamon, half to himself.

Hiamon nodded. Less than a day had passed, and he already found that he despised Zhuqiaomon. The bird guardian loved to abuse his power to scare smaller Digimon witless. Even worse, he seemed to think that he was doing a favor by getting rid of Kabuterimon. His biased view of Digimon types made him think that Hiamon, another virus type, shared the same views.

"Well, I must get back to my own job," said Zhuqiaomon with a great sigh, as though his work was a burden. Hiamon wondered what it was - probably organizing a tea party with the other guardians. The guardian turned to Hiamon. "And you should get back to yours," he added. "Feel free to call me if that annoying little pest bothers you again. Well, I'm off!" And so he flew away beyond the mountain, to his own little cabin.

Hiamon sighed too. If he didn't get back to work, Zhuqiaomon would grow tired of being Hiamon's "buddy". And he didn't want that to happen . . . if careful, he could use Zhuqiaomon's "typism" to his advantage.

He gazed up at the mysterious black rocks that they were constructing. Already many Digimon had emerged from the cafeteria to do work, most of them vaccine and date types. Hiamon wondered if that was a coincidence, but had no time to think: it was time to work. So he continued what he had started the previous day; he removed rocks from the mountains and compressed them into the large rocks, then went back and did it again, and again, and again, and again. It was not long before he was joined by his friends. Apparently Shun had devised a brilliant scheme to keep them all from working: ordering more and more food so they could stay inside the cafeteria all day. It did not work well: the Babamon who served the meals demanded that they eat all the food they had purchased, to which Shun and the others kindly declined. They would rather work all day than eat the food all day.

"We saw you talking with Zhuqiaomon," Suraiimon said during the few times they had to actually talk. "What was all that about?"

"He was just calling off a Kabuterimon for _talking _to me," Hiamon explained as he picked up a fairly heavy rock.

"Oh, so you met Kabuterimon," said Angemon, who was with them. "He's a friend of mine. He used to live in Midgard City, but he was arrested for spitting on a security camera."  
"You're his _friend_?" Hiamon asked, almost dropping the boulder on his toe. "He used to live in Midgard City?" He perked up, remembering. "Would he - ?"

"No," was Angemon's reply, as Suraiimon sneaked away. "He's younger than me, and he's very poorly educated. A Digimon couldn't know less about history. He's more of a fighting type."  
The rest of the day dragged on, and Hiamon thought bitterly that he still had five more days of toil. He was relieved when it was time for dinner; even the food that the Babamon were serving tasted good. He joined Angemon and the others at the table, setting down a tray piled with vegetables next to Kibamon.

Suraiimon lapped at her water bowl, then looked up. "Where's Devimon? I haven't seen him all day." She looked around at the Digimon sitting at the tables. 

"He's here," assured Hiamon, somewhat sadly. "You just haven't seen him all day because I remember he was the last one to exit the cafeteria. He worked outside for maybe one, two hours? He's probably off sucking up to the Babamon."

Sure enough, the winged black Digimon was found in line, flirting with one of the cafeteria workers. Hiamon sighed, knowing that that would never work on human cafeteria workers. He thought bitterly back to the many times he had forgotten his lunch money and tried vainly to bargain with them. When Devimon was finally done ordering, he sat down next to Zhuqiaomon and the other guardians, who sat at a large wooden table with a candle atop it. They seemed quite unconcerned as they sat eating their food (Takumi noticed that the guardian's food, except for Zhuqiaomon, was different from theirs).

"What about Airdramon?" asked Mekanorimon, his mouth (or whatever it was he had) full of potato. "_There's _someone I haven't seen all day." There was a clanging of forks.

"Where _is _Airdramon?" said Suraiimon, turning to the other tables. "He's not anywhere."

"I didn't seem him outside either," said Angemon with a frown. He took a small nibble at his potato, then sipped his glass.

A bell rang in Hiamon's head: Airdramon. He wasn't anywhere. Not at the table, not at breakfast, not during the work hours. Where was he? Had he escaped the camp? He turned to the guardians' table. Zhuqiaomon was now talking to Devimon and MetalGreymon, who had also taken seats there. If Airdramon _had_ escaped, they were certainly keeping quiet about it. All the more sense, they probably wouldn't want to stir up a rebellion among the prisoners. But what if he _hadn't_ escaped? What if he was dead? The thought was scary.

He shook his head: he was jumping to conclusions, which was not a good thing. Maybe Airdramon was sitting in another spot, or maybe he had already gone outside. Outside . . . he remembered something . . . then - 

_The dream._

It hit him like a bullet. It came to him all at once: him waking up on the middle of the night, looking out the window at the red flames, and that strange squawking noise . . . and now, the next day, Airdramon was gone. Gone. Unless . . .

"Was Airdramon supposed to leave today?" he asked with uncertainty. 

"No," replied Angemon calmly. "He's a troublesome vaccine type; he's been here for three weeks and he still doesn't know how to behave properly. He skips work and horses around, which gives him another week at this place. He's a slow learner."

Hiamon nodded, not really paying attention. He was starting outside the door. If Airdramon was out there, then there was nothing to worry about. But if he wasn't . . . he shivered. Something was wrong at this camp.

"I - I think I'll go outside," he declared, getting up from the table. "To do some . . . thinking." He picked up his tray with his mouth and scuttled outside after bidding the others good-bye. He disappeared through the doors, off searching for Airdramon.

Back at the table, his friends were barely halfway through with their meal.

"Have you noticed something?" said Suraiimon with a look at the door. "Takumi's been acting odd lately. I wonder why he's outside?"  
"If I know Takumi," said Kibamon, wiping his mouth, "it's not for thinking."

***

Shortly after sunset, the Digimon were escorted to their rooms. The Team needed no urging: they would rather be in the comfort of their dormitories than out in the cold night. Takumi was nonplussed. Outside, he had found no trace of Airdramon, and even the other prisoners were unsure of his whereabouts. He was starting to worry . . . but he mustn't jump to conclusions.

He was the first one in bed, for a change, but probably the last to go to sleep. He wanted to know where Airdramon was and what his dream the previous day meant. That is, if it was a dream. Weird. Ryota's snoring didn't help. At one point Takumi considered getting a bucket of water to pour on his head, but thought the better of it. Getting up would require movement, and he wasn't sure he felt like moving right now . . . he wanted to stay on his comfortable pillow. Lost in his thoughts, he fell into sleep, moments before Yuka did.

***

The next day was quite similar to the last. Takumi thought, almost in relief, that soon all these days would feel blurry and far away. The morning melted into the previous one; it seemed like Takumi was having a serious case of deja vu. He woke up in the same manner as the day past, he got up in the same way. He even almost forgot to transform back into a Digimon. Breakfast was the same (the food, though different, was still bad), but it was fortunately without Zhuqiaomon breathing down their necks. Only when everyone was outside did things get a little different: Zhuqiaomon personally introduced all the Digimon to a new prisoner.

"This is Kuwagamon," he said, proudly flying over a big red bug Digimon with hard pincers. "He's an insectoid Digimon, the best in his class" (Kabuterimon, who was behind Hiamon, grumbled, as Kuwagamon stood proudly) "so I expect you to treat him as you would treat a family member. If I hear of any horse play, you can forget about having dinner. Monochromon! What are you laughing about? I sure don't see anything funny. This camp is not meant to be funny." Zhuqiaomon looked at Kuwagamon, then gave a harsher warning look to the Digimon gathered around him. Then he flew away as though he had forgotten he was introducing someone.

Hiamon wondered if Kuwagamon felt like a new student in school. The prisoners examined him in a curious manner, and Kabuterimon stepped forward.

"The best in your class, eh? So, you think you could beat me in a battle?" The insectoid almost seemed to be urging the newcomer on.

"That's absurd, Kabuterimon," said Angemon. "You can't battle here, they'd catch you for sure, and give you both more work."  
"Work can wait," snarled Kabuterimon.

"I'll battle," agreed Kuwagamon, "I could beat this guy any day!" He crouched down in a lunging position.

"I'd like to see you try," his rival sneered. "I'd strike you so hard that you would probably break your stupid pincers."

That did it. In an instant's time, Kuwagamon had nailed Kabuterimon to the ground, snapping his pincers menacingly. Kabuterimon rolled over and threw his opponent beside him. For a while, the insectoids grappled on the ground, throwing punches and using their bodies forcefully, until the battle changed to two feet. The Digimon surrounding them watched the sight with a sort of glee on their faces, with the exception of Angemon, who was worried and concerned about the prospect of getting more work to do.

"That a boy! Get 'em, Kuwagamon!" shouted MetalGreymon, holding up a big metal fist in excitement. He seemed to be friends with his fellow virus-type already. 

"C'mon, Kabuterimon! He's no match for you!"  
None of them seemed to have the upper hand, until finally Kabuterimon dealt his opponent a hard blow in the chest with his beetle horn. Kuwagamon staggered back, then fell dully to the ground.

"That's the way, Kabuterimon!" yelled a Digimon named Garurumon. "Show 'em who's boss!"

With rapid speed, the gray insect Digimon took to the skies and fired a purple energy ball to the ground.

"Electro Shocker!"  
If Kabuterimon was growing confident, he was in for a surprise. His victory only seemed sealed. His opponent got up almost faster than he could blink (which, having no eyes, he couldn't). He dodged the energy ball by inches, which showered the roaring crowd with dirt and dust. Kuwagamon ran at a start, then jumped at his opponent, tackling him up in mid-air.

"ARGH!"

Kabuterimon found himself in the hold of Kuwagamon's dangerous pincers. There was a loud _THRSH _as his head hit a small mound of dirt. He looked up. His opponent had nailed him with his pincers. He found that he could not move. Meanwhile, Kuwagamon was only gaining the energy, which he let out in the form of . . .

"Power Guillotine"  
Kuwagamon kicked his opponent in the head, propelling him upwards. He snapped his pincers and a white beam formed in the center of them, which shot forward at Kabuterimon.

_CRSH._

The beam hit Kabuterimon, and subsequently the mountain, which nearly crumbled under the energy. The red beetle flew over the pile of dirt he had made and looked about. The Digimon looked too. Some were jubilant - like SkullGreymon and his cronies - others, like Takumi and the others, were outraged.

"Is he - ?" said a shocked Suraiimon, afraid to finish.

"No," Angemon replied. "No, that's too weak an attack. It would take a lot more than that to kill Kabuterimon." Angemon talked about killing as though it were something trivial and unimportant. 

But the problem was, there was no proof that Kabuterimon _was _alive. If he was, he was buried beneath a mountain of dirt.

Kuwagamon, unsatisfied, hovered over the ground, leery of a surprise attack. Sure enough, from under the dirt rose a restored Kabuterimon, who lunged at Kuwagamon. Unprepared, the latter insectoid received a kick to the head. In the air, the two threw fists and kicks so quickly that the crowd below could not see them. Finally, Kabuterimon used his Beetle Horn Attack to send Kuwagamon flying to the ground. But he even had the time to hit, Kabuterimon followed with his finishing attack: "Electro Shocker!"

The purple ball of energy spiraled into the ground, hitting Kuwagamon with a vaporizing shock. The force sent sand flying everywhere. 

Now it was Kabuterimon's turn to laugh. But his rival was not finished yet. Weakly, Kuwagamon stood up, clearly shaken from the sudden impact. His pincers were broken and bent; he was missing several teeth in front He seemed too weak to battle, but nonetheless he snapped his broken pincers, urging his opponent on. It seemed to work, for Kabuterimon charged at him at dangerous speed. Kuwagamon jumped up, avoiding his opponent by a few inches. His intention was to send Kabuterimon flying head-first into the sand, but his plan failed. Kabuterimon caught himself and glided over the desert ground until he gained the momentum to fly up into the air. Kuwagamon saw this and forced himself to fly straight at his enemy. The two insects rammed into each other. Kabuterimon cracked his beetle helmet, but it was Kuwagamon who sustained the most damage. His helmet cracked down the middle and one of his pincers flew off into the sand.

"This battle is yours, Kabuterimon!" cried Monochromon elatedly. Some did not share (or rather, did not want to share) his thoughts. MetalGreymon folded his arms.

"By golly, if Kuwagamon can't beat him up, then I'll just have to go in there myself!" he shouted, pounding his metal fist into the sand. Angemon and the Genesis Team did not care over the matters of the victor, they were more concerned about the insectoids' behavior and what it would cost them all.

"They should watch themselves," said Angemon anxiously. "They could get us all in trouble."  
"They're so selfish," said Suraiimon through narrowed eyes.

They did not watch themselves. They battled on, Kuwagamon looked almost comical with a cracked helmet and only one pincer. Still, he did not give up; several times he rammed right into Kabuterimon, causing his opponent considerable pain. In the air they fought, and no one seemed to have the upper hand, until Kabuterimon kicked his opponent in the chest.

"URGH!"

Green fluid flowed from Kuwagamon's mouth even before he crushed his left leg on one of the nearby cliffs. With a sickly moan, he dully dropped to the ground with a soft _PLUMP._ Kabuterimon didn't even need to look down at Kuwagamon to see that he had won. Cheering loudly, the vaccine and data types crowded around their champion and held him up high.

"Kabuterimon! Kabuterimon!" they roared, throwing him up into the air like the Civilians did to the Team, not so long ago. The Team, by the way, did not join in the cheering. They were standing with Angemon, watching a fiery-red cloud descend upon the desert.

_GRBOOSH!_

The cheering ended, the crowds separated, dropping their champion to the ground with a _thud._ The cloud exploded in a storm of dust, revealing Zhuqiaomon. An eerie hush filled the camp. Hiamon turned to the virus types, who wore looks of triumph on their faces.

"What is going on here?" Zhuqiaomon demanded.

No one answered.

"Why are you all dancing about like lunatics? This is a disciplinary camp, not a concert. Well? Explain yourselves!"  
No one spoke, but everyone was aware that Zhuqiaomon knew perfectly well what was going on. The guardian cocked his head, as if looking for something.

"Where is Kuwagamon? Why is he not here?" he said probingly. When again he received no answer, he glided over to a mound of dirt, where Kuwagamon lay. The bird bent down to sniff the earth. "I smell blood," he muttered in disgust. In seconds, he had retrieved Kuwagamon and dragged him back to the camp. The vaccine and data types gasped in horror: where the insect's left pincer was supposed to be was a small hole oozing with red fluid. Equally repulsive was his mouth. Most of his teeth missing and blood spilling out of the gaps, he gave off the appearance of a red demon. The only one who looked scarier was Zhuqiaomon. His face told them all that he meant business. He loosened Kuwagamon, who stood up feebly. Then the guardian faced the crowd.

"So," he began, "you think it's funny to bring pain to a new prisoner? To skip out on work? Do you think it's funny to go without dinner?" No one spoke. Only the virus types did not look worried. Zhuqiaomon looked at the miserable heap that was Kuwagamon. "Who did this?" the bird demanded. He was given no reply, but it was not too difficult to find out who did do it. Kabuterimon, covered with scars and scabs and bruises, was all too easy to figure out.

"Kabuterimon!"

Sure enough, the once victorious, now miserable insectoid, was called forth. He stepped timidly in front of the guardian.

"Step closer."  
Kabuterimon stepped closer.

"Did you do this?" Zhuqiaomon asked fiercely.

Kabuterimon bent his head low, but the crowd could make out a shake in reply. Zhuqiaomon was unconvinced.

"Did you or did you not attack Kuwagamon? Stand up straight and answer 'yes' or 'no'. Well?"

The insect did as instructed and quietly said, "No".

Zhuqiaomon sniffed. "Then, how ever did you get all dirty? Stand up straight, I said! Look at me! Kabuterimon, you loathsome, vile scum of a Digimon, did you or did you not attack Kuwagamon?"

Kabuterimon swallowed as the Team listened for his reply. In the background Kuwagamon was crying like a young child who had just stubbed his toe, while wiping his nose free of blood.

"Kabuterimon! Did you attack Kuwagamon?"  
The insectoid gulped. "Yes."

"Yes? You did do it?" The vaccine and data types started to mutter to each other in terror. "Quiet!" Zhuqiaomon snapped at them. "Now . . . you did do it? Then why did you just tell me you didn't?"  
There was no easy way out of this question. "Sir, I -"

Zhuqiaomon circled around the humiliated insect, almost humming to himself in delight. "Kabuterimon," he said pleasantly, "we have a series of rules at this camp to follow. In this world, we have a system called 'retaliation'. Do you know what that means?" Not waiting for a reply, he continued, "it means that if you take out someone's eye, they are allowed to take out your eye. You break someone's leg, they are allowed to break your leg. Eye for eye, a foot for a foot, a tooth for a tooth, right?" He turned to the prisoners. "Does that sound like a good system to you?" he asked them.

In return, he received nods, grunts, and low murmurs.

"Let's try this again," he said, addressing them as though they were in class and he was the teacher. "Do you think that is a good system?"  
"Yes," they are replied in a robotic chorus.

"No!" shouted Zhuqiaomon. "I do not think that is a good system. I do not think that is a good system at all. Does anybody know _why_?" Still no replies. He continued: "Suppose someone breaks your arm. Now you have the right to break their arm, right? You do so, and everything is fine. Happy, happy, butterflies and fairies, right? WRONG. If someone were to break _your_ arm, I'm sure you would not be content with just having to break _their_ arm. For trying to break your arm, they should be punished, not with a simple arm-breaking, no. I mean death. Therefore, I invented what I called the "Counter System" or "Retaliation". This says that if someone gouges out my eyes, I can kill them. There. Everyone is happy." He came back to the sobbing Kuwagamon. His hawk-like eyes focused on the crowd with intense hatred. "Kabuterimon, will you come here, please?"

Kabuterimon limped over to Zhuqiaomon like a criminal to his execution. He bowed, and a nasty smile appeared on the guardian's face.

"Stand up straight!" he ordered again. Kabuterimon, who seemed to always have bad posture, obeyed minutely. The guardian's smile remained, a sure-fire hint that this was not going to be good. Hiamon could see the insect Digimon trembling. "Now, Kabuterimon, as I was saying, at my camp we have certain rules to follow. And my rule is Retaliation. You have been very cruel to the new prisoner, Kuwagamon. Do you think he deserved that sort of treatment from you?"

Hiamon could have swore that Kabuterimon muttered a faint 'yes' under his breath, but Zhuqiaomon did not seem to notice nor care. He continued on. "You, in the moments of my absence, have cracked Kuwagamon's helmet, knocked out a few of his teeth, and destroyed on of his pincers," he told Kabuterimon. "For this, you shall suffer greatly. The one you attacked will do twice as much pain to you as you did to him."

Kuwagamon, who probably would've won the "Longest Fake Crying Award" if such a thing existed, looked up, and immediately ceased his pitiful sobbing.

"But Sir," said the SkullGreymon sneakily, "Kuwagamon is weak now. He cannot do the same amount of damage." One of his cronies snickered.

"Ah, I'm glad you brought that up, SkullGreymon," Zhuqiaomon said fondly. He turned to Kuwagamon. "Those who obey the rules, you shall find, are rewarded greatly. That is why rules exist. If there were no rules, then life would be full of chaos and disorder. To the preserver of order -" Zhuqiaomon opened up his talons and form them came a bright beam of light. The light hit off Kuwagamon's broken helmet. Then, to everyone's astonishment, the beam disappeared, and the wounded insect was invigorated. His helmet was whole again, but different: the color of his helmet was now gold, and instead of a simple mark on his head was a star with one eye on it. Equally changed were his pincers, which were also shining gold. Now they were extremely sharp, and he had two sets of them. The four pincers snapped like scissors. The crowd of prisoners gasped. Zhuqiaomon beamed, obviously pleased at their amazement.

"Kuwagamon," he said with pleasure, "attack your attacker." 

His pretend tears wiped away, the red insect wore a hungry expression on his golden face. Kabuterimon made a strange, timid moan.

_FWASH!_

Kuwagamon did not hesitate to lash his opponent. With no holding back, he gored his golden pincers into his rival's chest. Kabuterimon let out a sickly, startled groan as blood dribbled down his leg. Mikemon turned away in disgust. Where Kabuterimon's chest should have been was now a large, gaping hole. He staggered, a pool of blood forming beneath him. It was a nasty sight for everyone, except the virus types, who seemed almost enchanted.

"That's it!" laughed Zhuqiaomon as the Team backed away from the violence. "Come on, go at him again! Let all your anger out! Remember what he did to you!"  
Already tired but not about to quite anytime soon, Kuwagamon regained his energy and lunged at Kabuterimon. This time, his steel pincers pierced his opponent's throat.

"This is horrible," Mekanorimon said to Angemon, "and unfair. He's not even allowed to fight back?"  
His companion nodded grimly. "If Kuwagamon keeps going at him like this, he'll be dead by sunset."

Hiamon, who had been watching the battle but had also been paying attention to his friends, turned to Angemon, as thought something had rang inside of his brain . . . then it came back to him. He turned back to the prisoners. The virus types were cheering as Kabuterimon was being thrown to the ground; the vaccines had their mouths open at the appalling sight. But Greymon was not among them. Greymon was gone.

_AGHH!_

His thoughts were interrupted by the shrill scream of an insect Digimon. Kabuterimon stood on his knees, appearing to bow to the ground as Kuwagamon assaulted him with Power Guillotines. Kuwagamon did not speak, but Zhuqiaomon cried, "Take that! And _that_! Ha ha!" He flapped his fiery wings in excitement. "_Brilliant _retaliation! Ooh, that's it, you've almost got his horn off!" Then, Hiamon saw that with each blow Kabuterimon was dealt, his horn loosened. Blood was gushing through the wound.

"Power Guillotine!"  
One more beam, and Kabuterimon's beetle horn was nearly finished. The poor insect coughed up blood with each attack, unable to do anything else. Suraiimon buried her head in her hands. "Oh, I can't bare to watch this!" she stammered.

_LASH!_

"Uogh!"  
Kabuterimon fell to the ground, soaking himself with his own blood. His horn nearly ripped off, a huge hole in the middle of his chest, and his neck spurting a hot spray of red liquid, the poor insectoid seemed lifeless and unable to fight ever again. After one last Power Guillotine, Kuwagamon was satisfied. His hungry look vanished; he was proud of his new powers. He closed his fly-like wings.

"Very good!" Zhuqiaomon chuckled, but his smile quickly faded. He glared back at Kabuterimon, who could no longer even struggle to rise. "You! Come with me! You're not for working at all today, you troublesome oaf!" When he turned to Kuwagamon, a look of sympathy crossed his face. "Kuwagamon, you may accompany me . . . yes, let's get you all cleaned up now, that's it . . ." And they trotted back to his cabin.

Hiamon sniffed. _But Kuwagamon's not hurt anymore,_ he wanted to say aloud. He found he already had a hatred for the insect.

One of the virus types clapped their hands. "Okay, show's over, people," said Devimon, reluctantly turning towards the work zone.

"At least it got us out of work for a few minutes," grunted SkullGreymon, to laughs from his companions. Kibamon watched them leave.

"Well, I guess there's nothing left to do but follow them," he muttered, leading the group back to camp. Within moments, the crowd that had gathered around the fight had evaporated. Hiamon was the last to leave. As he was walking, he looked back towards the place where his friend the Kabuterimon had been so cruelly treated.

***

Hiamon yawned as he sat down at his table. He placed his tray (piled with beans) on the table and sighed. He was exhausted, but amazed at how quickly the day seemed to fly by. The work load, though briefly interrupted by the Kabuterimon - Kuwagamon fight, was the same. He supposed that he had adjusted to the camp's ways. _Only four days to go, _he thought happily as he was joined at the table by Angemon.

"Are you trying to starve yourself?" asked Hiamon as his friend lay down his almost empty tray.

"Not quite," Angemon said with a smile.

"Here, have some beans," the dragon offered.

"No, thanks," he declined. "Those things are awful, they give prisoners diarrhea." He gobbled of his small macaroni sandwich as Hiamon threw his half-empty tray into the garbage can. When he returned, Kibamon and the others had already been seated and Hiamon could scarcely find any room for his large body. He listened as they engaged in conversation about Devimon.

"He's an idiot, all right," growled Kibamon, biting into a sausage covered with yogurt. "I hope someone uses the Counter System on _him._"

Suraiimon, who was nearly starved, nodded after nearly swallowing her whole tray.

Hiamon shook his head and expressed his thoughts. "I don't like the "Counter System" at all. I don't think you should use it on anybody."  
Mikemon nodded in agreement.

"I still hope something bad happens to him," Kibamon grumbled.

"Yeah, I hope he gets poisoned from his own food!" Mekanorimon laughed.

"SHH!" silenced Suraiimon, flashing her sharp teeth in warning. "Zhuqiaomon's right behind you!" Hiamon looked and saw the great bird Digimon select his favorite food, chat with the lunch Digimon like old friends, and leave for his table with the other guardians.

"Ah, don't be such a worrywart," said Mekanorimon, right before Suraiimon dented him.

All this talk of Digimon made Hiamon's head spin. He came back to his dream two nights before, and the loud squawking voice. Was that Airdramon? Airdramon was no where in the cafeteria. He hadn't been seen by anyone for two days, and now Greymon was missing. And both were vaccine types . . . where were they? He glanced over to Zhuqiaomon, who seemed quite unconcerned as he laughed with SkullGreymon.

"When you can go outside," he told the Team, motioning to the door, "I would like to talk with you." His friends watched him curiously, but none watched as he walked out the door.

The evening was cool and a bit windy. He had gotten used to it over the past few days. It was sort of nice to be working all day, then going to the cafeteria to eat food with your friends (despite how bad the food was), then to go outside for a nice summer breeze. Sort of.

Right after he had gotten out the door, Zhuqiaomon and the other guardians appeared. He wondered why he hadn't Azulongmon, Baihumon, and Ebonwumon much. They seemed like lesser servants rather than Zhuqiaomon's equals. They were talking rapidly in hushed voices and fortunately went in the opposite direction of where he was headed. 

"Nothing wrong," he heard Zhuqiaomon say. "Just an early end, that's all . . . it's not uncommon . . ."  
An early end? Hiamon perked up his ears.

"That's easy for you to say" returned a nervous Baihumon. "I really don't think . . . if you want to do it quickly . . . you could do it yourself . . ."

Zhuqiaomon said something back, but Hiamon was too far away to hear. Their voices trailed off as they turned down a path, leaving him alone in the dark.

Strange things crossed his mind. Early end? Not uncommon? Want to do it quickly? Do it yourself? These words poured down like rain. What did they mean? Then he thought about Airdramon . . . and Greymon . . . early end? Both prisoners, both had not yet completed their time, both vaccines, both disappeared without a trace. The question came again: where were they?

_NRUNIEH._

The cafeteria door creaked open and out stepped the very Digimon that he wanted to see. Kibamon, Mekanorimon, Mikemon, Suraiimon, and Angemon climbed down the steps to the cold, sandy floor of the desert.

"So, you called us out to talk?" said Suraiimon softly.

"Ummm . . . yes. But, uh . . ." His voice trailed off, and so did his feet. Understanding the situation, Angemon and the others followed him a short distance out of earshot from prying Digimon. The night was growing darker. _All the better,_ Hiamon thought. The others huddled around him and waited for him to speak.

"I told you about this yesterday," he informed them, "with the disappearance of Airdramon. But now, Greymon's gone too. This is serious." He looked on their calm faces. None of them seemed concerned. He wondered if he was the only one who thought he could be the next to go.

"Well, was Greymon a new prisoner?" asked Kibamon, something that Hiamon had never even thought of. That could burst his theory.

"He was on his sixth or seventh day," said Angemon, scratching his head.

"See?" said Kibamon, turning to Hiamon with an I-told-you-so look.

"No - guys -" Hiamon said with frustration. So what if Greymon had left? There was still something going on. "Both were vaccine types, and both seemed to get on Zhuqiaomon's nerves -"  
"Just a minute," said Mekanorimon, stepping into the circle. "There was only one Digimon that 'disappeared' and that was Airdramon."  
Hiamon gawked at the robot Digimon. Always, always he thought he could depend on Shun to come to his defense. But not this time. He was betrayed. Reina as well did not come to his aid.

"And plus, I never saw Greymon get on Zhuqiaomon's nerves," said Suraiimon. Mikemon remained quiet.

"And what do you think Zhuqiaomon had to do with the 'disappearances'?" asked Angemon in an almost accusing tone.

Hiamon put a paw to his forehead. All the talking, all the objections, all of them ganging up on him like he was unwanted gave him a headache. "Look," he said tiredly, "maybe . . . maybe I'm crazy . . . and this is all wrong, but . . ." He now spoke barely more than a whisper. "I had . . . I had a dream last night . . . and Zhuqiaomon . . . well, maybe it wasn't Zhuqiaomon . . . and maybe it wasn't a dream, but . . ." Mikemon looked up, suddenly interested. ". . . on our first night here, I saw, in the window, when you all were sleeping, _something._ Then I heard a loud _SQUAWK, _like . . . _EGGH!_ Then I saw a flash of red, then I heard noises, then all was silent, like nothing had happened. I think the squawk belonged to Airdramon . . . or Zhuqiaomon . . . or both. I saw it through the window with my own two eyes."  
"Or, you could have been dreaming," said Kibamon with a roll of his own eyes.

Hiamon ignored him, now speaking through gritted teeth. "I think Zhuqiaomon might be killing the vaccine Digimon here," he declared bravely.

This statement was met with a hushed silence. For a second Hiamon wondered if he even said anything. Finally, Kibamon broke the irritating quietness. 

"Zhuqiaomon is killing Digimon?" he said, looking around for anyone who might hear him. "Zhuqiaomon's bad, and he's not the friendliest type, but I don't think he'd go so far as _killing_ someone." The others nodded in agreement.

Hiamon grew frustrated. The anger he had of his friends objecting him was rising steadily. Could nothing get them to understand? "But what about Kabuterimon?" he asked. "Have you already forgotten what happened this morning?"  
"Punishing a Digimon severely is something that Zhuqiaomon always does," broke in Angemon. "He does it at least once a week, and in front of a crowd. It's a tool he uses to scare us, to get us to behave."  
Hiamon felt as if he had been cornered into a dark alley by two 300-pound men. "But what abut Greymon and Airdramon? What happened to them? Did they just disappear into thin air?"  
Kibamon groaned. "We just _told you,_ Takumi. Greymon never disappeared. It was just the end of his term. And Airdramon . . . well, we just don't know what happened to him. But there's probably a logical explanation about that. And, if it turns out that Digimon really are 'disappearing' . . ." He said the last sentence in an exaggerated tone. ". . . I still won't believe you."

Slowly, his friends seemed to disappear themselves, as though the subject was abated. Only Suraiimon remained behind, and her words were less than encouraging. "Takumi, why don't you brighten up a little bit? All you've done since we've got here was worry. This is the free hour, remember? Enjoy yourself for once." She placed at unwanted paw on Hiamon's foot, as if saying "I'm here for you".

"I will," he assured her. After speaking he felt the weight on his foot decrease. He wished he had said something sooner, and he was about to say more, but Suraiimon had trotted away in a flash. Gritting his teeth in anger, he wondered what made them so carefree, so childish, so . . . ignorant. Ignorance was what it was. Was he the only one who worried that he may not see the next day? Was he the only one who knew that the guardians were more than just mean? Was he the only one who was warning them? Well, no more. From now on, he would let them figure out things on their own. If they wanted to stay ignorant, it wasn't his duty to trample on their bliss. After all, ignorance was bliss, right?"  
He kicked a rock out of his way. Who cared about Ryota and Shun and Angemon and Reina? They should have been on their knees, thanking him for his warnings. But instead they told him not to be so uptight, to just stop worrying all the time, to chill. They would get their wish: he wouldn't bother them again.

He watched as Kibamon chased a playful Suraiimon across the desert. How could they be so ignorant? How could they be so willfully stupid? Who cared about the others, anyway? If all of them dropped dead now, good; it would serve them right for their ignorance.

"Curfew! Curfew! Everyone to bed!"  
Hiamon clenched his fists in frustration. Now there was no free hour to enjoy.

He really knew how to make himself angry.

***

The journey back to the cabin was long and tiring. Hiamon's feet were so sore by the end of it he nearly collapsed on the doorstep. What he needed was sleep, and fast. He walked clumsily to his blanket and threw the covers over his now human body. Just as quickly as he had settled in, he jumped out as if stung by a yellow jacket. The sheets were frigid! He leaped out of the way of Shun, who was walking around like a zombie.

"Must . . . sleep . . ." he said almost as robotically as his Digimon form. He plopped down on his bed. The pillows softened his landing, and in a matter of seconds he was fast asleep.

"Early to be, early to rise," Ryota said dully, turning Shun over on his back. He was snoring loudly.

"Good night, everybody," said Reina with a yawn just as loud. "I'm tired . . ."  
"We all are," said Takumi, lying on his pillow and trying to bare the unpleasantly cold sheets. All were tired except Yuka, apparently. She lay propped in her favorite chair, her pamphlet opened up like a large book. The huge chair made her small body look comical. Aside from the candle near the armchair, the room was free of light. Perfect sleeping conditions. As Reina settled down beside him, Takumi closed his eyes. All he could focus on now was sleep. He had no concern for what may happen later.

***

Takumi woke up. It was very dark; the last candle had been put out many hours ago. He didn't need a watch to know that it was the middle of the night. The instinct in animals that was scant in humans seemed to have woken from a long, deep sleep. The wind was blowing. Takumi sat up. The cabin had thin walls, but he hardly heard the wind from behind them. He shivered and realized that he was freezing from head to toe. Worse still was a creaking noise. He hated creaking noises, they gave him goose bumps and made him want to cover his ears to stop the intruding sound. _CREAAK!_ It came again. What was it? Then, to his horror, he found exactly where the sound was coming from. The door was halfway open, and strong gusts of wind were blowing it back. As though he were in some kind of bad dream, he walked cautiously over to the creaking door, uncertain as to what he would find out there.

_POUMB!_

He fell, hitting his left knee on the hard floor. Rubbing it, he searched painfully for what had caused his plummet. He saw in the inky darkness a long block of wood on the floor - the lock which they had put over the door! He soothed his side; he had hurt that too in his fall. Then he got up and staggered to the open entranceway. He peered out into the night sky, praying he would not stumble upon a guardian outside.

_No, that's stupid,_ he thought to himself, _guardians don't come out in the middle of the night._ After all, they needed their sleep too. Only then did he remember. Like a repeat from two nights ago, Takumi gasped in disbelief as he saw red flames appearing over the other cabins outside. In perfect sequence from the night before, there came a screeching sound, more fighting, more struggling. Then silence. Once again, Takumi felt like he could have imagined it. If only! He sighed. This had now happened twice . . . no, three times. It was real. There was no denying it.

_CTLISH. _Takumi looked around in fright. Then came a sound like the crunching of many leaves. He looked down and saw a small figure at the foot of the stairs. What little courage was left in him dissolved. What if it was one of the guardians' servants? If they caught him outside in the dark, much less in human form, he would be done for. But as the figure slowly walked up the steps, his courage came back. His eyes now adjusted to the dark, he saw the slim, young face of Yuka. Yuka?!

"Yuka!? What are you doing out here?" Had his voice not been impaired by drowsiness, he would have yelled. What was she doing out here in the middle of the night?"  
"Oh, it's you, thank goodness," she said quietly, clasping a hand to her heart. "I was hiding under the cabin, you see, and I heard something a few minutes ago, I thought it was one of the guardians . . ." She seemed breathless.

"That was me, I tripped on the lock," said Takumi. He became furious. "What do you think you're doing out here? If the guardians _did_ see you, we'd all be doomed!"  
"I'm sorry," Yuka said. She reached the top of the stairs next to Takumi. "But I had to see . . ." She turned to him, but was looking down at his shoes.

"What do you mean, 'you had to see'?" asked Takumi harshly. He didn't know where this ferocity came from. As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he regretted saying them. He was acting like an angry parent, and there was just no way he could remain mad at sweet, innocent Yuka . . .

The girl brushed back her short black hair. "I'm sorry . . ." She grew so quiet that Takumi could hardly hear her. "But . . . I believe you, Takumi. I've seen it too."  
"Seen what?" he asked, still in his concerned-parent voice. He wished he could lose it.

"I saw them too . . . on the first day . . . some Digimon fighting. _Something_ fighting . . . and the red flames. I saw them too. I believe you."  
Takumi's anger dissolved. Finally, someone who believed him. "But why didn't you tell me before?" he asked. _Why not_? She could've been very supportive if she had just spoken up.

Yuka remained silent.

"_Well_?"

It took a few seconds for her to answer. "Sometimes . . . I feel that . . . bad things are happening . . . I felt it on our first night here - so I went outside and hid. I saw Digimon fighting. The next day, Airdramon disappeared. I was right. Something bad _had _happened. Last night I watched the same thing again. Then Greymon disappeared. And now . . ." She spoke with frustration, as though she were telling a dark secret. Takumi wondered if this was the most she had ever said at once.

"And? You believe that Zhuqiaomon did it?"  
"Of course," was the quiet reply. "Every time I pass by him, I feel something bad . . ."

Takumi sighed. Talking to Yuka was like talking tot he wind. "All the guardians are bad. We know that. All we have to do is convince the others."

Yuka nodded in the darkness. "Yes . . . if three Digimon disappear one after the other, it's no longer a coincidence . . . we'll have to talk to them in the morning." She stopped and looked over the buildings, into the starless night. Takumi looked too.

"Who do you think disappeared tonight?" she asked him.

Takumi stared off into the distance. "Well, there's three possible Digimon: Garurumon, Kabuterimon, or Angemon . . ." He swallowed. How could he have been so stupid? There _was_ a chance that Angemon had disappeared; a one in three chance, a 25% chance if Suraiimon was included.

"I hope he's okay," said Yuka, as though reading his mind.

"Yeah," he said. "I hope they all are . . . but there's nothing we can do about it now." Turning to Yuka, he said, "I suggest we both go back to sleep. Camp will start again in a few hours. And then we'll act."

Yuka nodded. "What will we do then?"  
"I don't know. Maybe we'll run from camp." He had never contemplated this. The truth was, he didn't know what to do. The idea of running from camp after hearing Zhuqiaomon's story sent a shiver down his spine. But the idea seemed to satisfy Yuka, who went back to her bed on the floor. Takumi tiredly followed after locking the door. As he slumped down on his pillow, he thought about the previous moments. He had learned a lot about Yuka in that small amount of time.

Actually, he didn't, he thought as he rolled over. He looked down at a sleeping Reina. Maybe he wouldn't ever understand _anything_ about the girls in the group. But even if he was an expert on girls, he probably wouldn't ever understand Yuka.

***

The one who had disappeared that night turned out to be Kabuterimon. He wasn't in the cafeteria with the other Digimon the next morning. At first Takumi thought that Zhuqiaomon was giving him extra time for his wounds to heal, but he laughed at the thought. Zhuqiaomon would never give a vaccine type time to heal. To his relief, none of the other vaccine types, including Angemon, were missing.

The big guardian did not seem to care about the missing insectoid. Right now he was ordering a plate full of food after cutting through the short line of hungry Digimon. Takumi knew why the line was so short: a Digimon disappeared each night. And with three Digimon now gone and no end to the mysterious vanishings in sight, it would not be long before there was no line at all - at least with vaccine types in it. He would have to convince his friends that there was something very wrong with this camp - or they would be the next to go.

Convincing them would be much more easier with Yuka's help. The rest of the group could not scoff at both of them. With Takumi they thought he had been dreaming, but they would not be able to explain two people having the same dream. He joined his friends at their table. They were, of course, in their Digimon forms, talking to Angemon about his army in Midgard City.

"The Elder approved it. I hope they haven't broke up yet," Angemon was saying.

This wasn't the first time that Takumi had felt alienated from a group discussion - how could they be talking about some stupid army with their lives at stake?

"How many are in the army?" Suraiimon asked after a big bite of a potato pepperoni sandwich.

"Oh, about a third of the city, I imagine."  
Hiamon cast a look at Mikemon, who was enjoying an artificial bacon with cheese biscuit. Catching the glance, she got up from her table and stood next to Hiamon, ready for an announcement. Kibamon looked up with a look of his old annoyance.

"Where are you going?" he asked irritably.

"To ask of Kabuterimon's whereabouts," said Hiamon smartly.

"Oh, you're not going on about that again," said Kibamon as Angemon and the others looked up to where Kabuterimon used to sit. They didn't seem surprised.

"Actually, we _are_," said Mikemon, "and if I were you, I'd be careful. I saw what Takumi saw, and if you still don't believe us after last night, ten you're just no believing us for fear of yourself being wrong."  
Kibamon gawked at her. Hiamon didn't know what his friend found more surprising: the fact that Yuka believed him or for the fact that she had spoken over 35 words. He closed his mouth and was silent.

With that out of the way, Hiamon and Mikemon strode over to Zhuqiaomon, who was finishing a long chat with the manager. Why they were going to ask their suspect where Kabuterimon was would probably be a mystery to a stranger. But Takumi had always liked to ask what was going on, and it would be almost funny to hear Zhuqiaomon's excuse.

"Good," Zhuqiaomon was saying to the manager. "I'm glad we have that settled. Good-bye, then!" Next he literally bumped into Hiamon.

"Hello!" Zhuqiaomon said cheerfully, but his smile faded when he caught sight of Mikemon.

"Good morning," greeted Hiamon. "Mr. Zhuqiaomon," he began, unsure how exactly to address a guardian, "can we ask you a question?"

"Well, you had courage enough to ask _that_ one!" he laughed. "Sure! Ask me anything." His cheerful mood had come back. Hiamon was sure that by the end of the discussion, it would not remain.

"Sir, we wanted to ask you about Kabuterimon . . ." said Mikemon.

Sure enough, the guardian's smile turned into a frown. He looked down at the cat Digimon like an inferior bug. "Yes," he said crossly, "we've had some problems with him. You see . . ." He was clearly thinking of a story. A very bad actor.

Luckily for him, Garurumon bumped into him and almost knocked him down. At least it gave him time to make up a satisfactory yarn. "Pay attention!" he shouted at the animal, who mumbled a soft, "sorry" and left. Zhuqiaomon grimaced, then told his story.

"Kabuterimon, yes, we had some problems with him. It turns out that he was wrongfully accused of . . . fighting in the city. So, we released him. He's back at the . . . uh, city."

Hiamon and Mikemon exchanged glances. Now it was confirmed that he had just made it up: Kabuterimon hadn't been accused at all of fighting in the city.

"Don't be so uptight!" he coaxed, but the truth was that he was the one being uptight. Apparently he thought that his story didn't register. He was right, and he went behind the buffet table and returned with an ice cream cone that was covered with what appeared to be red and green sprinkles. "Here, have an ice cream cone!" He handed it to Mikemon and faced the both of them. "Here, why don't you both go outside now? It's a _beautiful day_ for working!" And he flew away to his table, looking stressed.

But they did not go outside. Zhuqiaomon's cover-up was more farfetched than they had expected. Clearly he had not bothered to make up a story before, and now Takumi and Yuka had caught him. They went back to their table to convince their friends - that yes, something was definitely very wrong with the camp.

_Next time on Digimon Genesis!_

The disappearances are piling up, but the Team doesn't have any clue on who or what is causing them! Can they solve the mystery of the disappearing Digimon before it's too late? Find out next time in:  
  
THE INSANITY OF PHELESMON

Well, hoped you all like that chapter . . . as always, read and review by pressing that little review button on there - and stay tuned for the next chapter! You won't want to miss it! 


	30. The Insanity of Phelesmon

__

DISCLAIMER: I dno't own Dgoimin. Dgoimin is onewd by Bnadai.

Okay, I'm sorry about this, but again, this chapter will not be The Insanity of Phelesmon . . . oh, I'm just kidding! Have fun with this chapter! This one took a month and a half to write. Last year I had this too - the Thanksgiving Lapse, I call it. The time around November-December when writers stop updating their fics as often. Don't worry, the Thanksgiving Lapse ends in the Chapters Spring Forward, a time of many updates. Anyway, read and review this chapter - because if you don't I'll feel like I went all out of my way to write this for NOTHING!  
  
Last time on Digimon Genesis . . . the Team continued their exercises at Purification Camp, but one by one, Digimon started to disappear, with Zhuqiaomon as the culprit! Uh-oh! What's going to happen NEXT?

****

DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER 30

THE INSANITY OF PHELESMON

By before the morning was out, the rest of the Team, except for maybe Kibamon, was well-convinced that something really was happening wrong at the camp. Yuka had been an even better help than Takumi had expected. Though she did not speak much at breakfast, she had obtained a special gift which allowed her to make others believe that she was right. Through this valuable weapon, the group needed no further evidence: Takumi and Yuka had been right about this all along, hands down, they said. Some questions were raised that attacked Takumi's theories (primarily from Kibamon) but they were flung aside in a pile. With three Digimon now having disappeared and two people who had witnessed the event, there was no one else they could believe _but _Takumi and Yuka.

"I always thought he had picked up on something," said Mekanorimon at breakfast.

"I never doubted Takumi either," said Reina defiantly.

"Well, Hiamon's theory certainly does make sense," said Angemon.

Kibamon growled something indistinctively.

"I thought so too," said Hiamon, his face going red. "But . . . there's a lot of stuff that doesn't make sense in it. Like, why would Zhuqiaomon want to kill a bunch of vaccine types? Not just for the fun of it, right?"  
"Maybe he's just a sicko," said Suraiimon, suggesting the thought that all of them had.

The Team spoke even more quietly than usual as they finished their morning meal of cold vegetable soup. Now that everyone agreed that Takumi had been right all along, the main question was on how to approach the situation. There was a chance that if Zhuqiaomon was killing vaccine types left and right, Suraiimon or Angemon . . . or even both . . . could not be at the breakfast table the next day. In the end it was decided that they would just have to spy on the great sparrow to learn his next move. After that came the question of who should go. When it was suggested that Takumi be the spy, he had doubts about himself. He really did want to spy on the guardians, but he was no secret agent . . . and if he were caught, it would spell trouble for everyone else.

"Of course you should go, Takumi," Suraiimon encouraged when she heard of his low confidence. "You're the one that told us all this. We can't stay ignorant forever. We should thank you for our lives, Takumi." She slurped up some soup.

He sighed, putting his fork down. "OK. I'll go. I only require a person to come with me."  
"I'll come with you," agreed Kibamon, his face covered with tomato sauce. Hiamon looked up in surprise. "It wouldn't be right to force you to do something that we're not willing to do ourselves. And I want to find out what's _really_ going on with Zhuqiaomon. Personally, I think you're jumping to conclusions and that you're just going to get us all in trouble. Plus, I think it would be fun to spy on those guardians. _Anything_ to skip work."  
"Then it's settled," smiled Takumi. Though Kibamon would try to pick at every hole in his theory along the way, his companionship would be good. The camp was slowly starting to shrink, and it was good to have friends.

"All right," said Angemon. "You'll leave at 7:20 - twenty minutes after work has started." 

***

Shortly after Zhuqiaomon and the other guardians had fled the work zone after a (disgusting) breakfast, Hiamon and Kibamon walked away like it was nothing. Some Digimon probably wondered where they were going, but if they did they stuck to their own work and minded their own business.

The path up to the guardians' cabin would be a tough trail to take for a non-flying Digimon. The little place sat atop a steep cliff, overlooking the camp site. Takumi often saw smoke coming from its chimney at the side. He wondered why, that of all places, all four guardians lived in the same tiny cabin, which could easily have been smaller than their own cabin at the camp. Then it occurred to him that they did not need a house: The entire Digital World was their home. Except for maybe Demon Palace, the guardians could live anywhere they pleased, and if others didn't like it, tough. The guardians were mega Digimon, and if a lower Digimon wanted to challenge their authority, he would be killed. The guardians were practically gods, beings that were almost worshipped. To insult them would be insulting all Digimon.

With Kibamon on his back, Hiamon reached the top of the mountain easily. Then he saw that the guardians did not live in a dinky old cabin - their home was in a lush oasis, filled with many green things. A forest of strange trees stat aback the little cabin. In the middle of the woods was an enchantingly blue lake. In front of the cabin, various plants of all shapes and sizes grew. A stunning red plant lay against the door. Then, to Hiamon's displeasure, he found that it wasn't a plant, but Shadramon, guarding the door. He appeared to be asleep.

With his hand Hiamon motioned for Kibamon to come forth. They squatted, down in front of a strange little bush. On it grew red and green flowers. The flowers were unnatural, a more appropriate word for them were spikes - they were long and thin and hard. With a trembling claw he picked off a green petal. He crushed it in his hand and the remains fell to the ground like dust.

"MMM - URGH!"  
Hiamon and Kibamon looked up, startled. On the porch of the little cabin, Shadramon was stretching after waking up from a long nap. He looked about him, then resumed his position as guard, as though nothing had happened.

"Crap, he's awake," said Kibamon with disappointment. Getting past an asleep guard was not very hard at all.

"He's not a very _good_ guard though, is he?" said Hiamon with amusement. "I think he'll be easy to pass if he can't even stay awake long enough. But first, we need a distraction."

Kibamon grinned, sensing Hiamon's thoughts. "OK then. How about you do something with that rock on the ground?"  
Near the plant was an out-of-place stone. Hiamon picked it up and threw it to the side of the cabin. It hit a tree's branch with a loud _THUNK._ Its leaves rattled. Shadramon looked up in surprise. Rapidly, he sneaked down the steps and ran to the woods out back. "Who goes there!?" he spat in a guard-like tone.

As Shadramon searched the forest for what had made the sound, Hiamon and Kibamon used the time to prance, unwatched, across the yard. They ducked under the cabin, Yuka being the one who had gave him the idea for the hiding place. Then they listened to the voices of the guardians above.

"I still don't know why you arranged this meeting." That was the cold, business-like voice of Zhuqiaomon.

"You know perfectly well why I arranged this meeting." The voice's owner spoke slowly and weakly. It had to belong to the oldest of the guardians, Ebonwumon.

"Don't speak to me that way," snapped Zhuqiaomon. "You're worried over nothing. We'll cover this up fine."  
Hiamon exchanged glances with Kibamon. Cover _what_ up fine? If he was beginning to doubt his suspicions, these five words invigorated them. Now even Kibamon wouldn't be able to object.

"Are you so sure?" It was another ancient-sounding voice. Azulongmon. "Already, three Digimon have died. They're not stupid, Zhuqiaomon. The prisoners will want to know where they are."

"Relax. I've already made up a story for it."  
"So soon?"  
"'Be prepared' is my motto. When some Digimon asked me about where Kabuterimon was, I told them we had released him. I told them that he had been wrongly accused of a crime."

Hiamon looked up. So he now had confirmation that that _was_ just a silly story created by Zhuqiaomon . . .

There were loud footsteps above their heads, then a growling voice, one that belonged to Baihumon, who hardly spoke: "You, Zhuqiaomon, are . . . an idiot. Clearly you are too stupid to make up a better story. That silly tale might work fine for Kabuterimon - but what about for Airdramon and Greymon?"

There was silence. Zhuqiaomon seemed to be a bit afraid of Baihumon.

"And what about the future ones?" Ebonwumon asked.

Still silence, until Zhuqiaomon said, "What do you mean by 'future ones'? There will be no 'future ones'."

"That's what you said yesterday," cornered Baihumon. "And you will say it tomorrow, and the day after that."  
Silence more.

"You will not be able to say that forever," the tiger guardian continued. "Already Digimon are growing suspicious. What will they think after a _fourth_ is missing? You underestimate them. These prisoners are smart . . . smarter than you."  
The red sparrow was obviously offended. "So what if they grow suspicious? They'll all be dead soon . . . except for the virus types, of course. The virus types will stay safe. They already know what's going on here."  
Hiamon sat down beside an attentive Kibamon and thought. Only the virus types would be safe . . . that meant that vaccine types were not the only ones in danger. A data type may be the next to disappear, he thought.

Baihumon growled. "You must stop this foolishness, Zhuqiaomon. We must all stop and think about this. If you leap before you look, then you will fall."  
"I can't stop!" Zhuqiaomon stammered. "It's King Daemon's orders. If he were to find that we weren't obeying orders, then he'd -" He did not finish, could not finish. The tiger Digimon interrupted him.

"The king won't find out. When was the last time you saw him here to supervise us? He -"  
Then there were other footsteps, feet right on the steps outside.

Shadramon was back! Hiamon and Kibamon ducked so that they wouldn't be seen in their hiding place under the cabin. The red insectoid Digimon walked into the guardians' home above them.

"You again!" shouted Zhuqiaomon with annoyance. "I thought I told you not to spy! You have no place in our conversations!"  
"I wasn't spying, Sir. I was being a good guard just like you told me to."  
"Humph! You were probably sleeping on the doorstep again."  
"No I wasn't Sir, honest! I heard a sound out back, so I went to investigate -"  
Hiamon's heart skipped a beat. What if Zhuqiaomon went to look? He would look under the cabin, wouldn't he?  
"A _sound_?" To Hiamon's horror, Zhuqiaomon was suddenly interested. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go to the forest again and find out what it was! For all I know it could be a meddling bird . . ." He sneered.

"Honestly, Sir, I can't see why you're afraid of a little bird . . ."  
"Get out! You have your orders!"  
"Alright then, Sir, I'm on it!"  
And with that the door shut behind him. The unwanted guard dashed down the steps and hopped over to the woods again. Kibamon let out a sigh of relief. He hadn't been the only one worried. Hiamon was sweating. Upstairs, the argument continued.

"Now, what was I saying? Oh yes. Zhuqiaomon, you've really got to get your act together. never before have I seen such stubbornness. You are being a disgrace to your fellow guardians."  
"_You're_ a disgrace to the guardians!" snapped the sparrow. "And there's no act that I need to get together. Now, you listen to me. Everything's going to be just fine."  
"There you go again!" shouted Azulongmon. "If only you were good at something besides lying! Lying to yourself! Lying to us! Lying to everyone! You say that everything's going to be all right, but just because you say something doesn't make it true!"  
In the next few minutes there was so much shouting and fighting that Hiamon couldn't make sense of their harsh words at each other.

"Now, now," Ebonwumon cut in. "Let's not act like children. If we do not solve things peacefully, we will forever be divided. Isn't that right, Azulongmon?"  
"Yes, that's true!" said Azulongmon. "And I think it's high time we ditch this camp. If you don't want to listen to us, Zhuqiaomon, then you can just run this camp by yourself!"  
"Yeah!" Azulongmon received shouts of approval from Baihumon.

"That really wasn't what I meant at all," sighed a weary Ebonwumon.

"No matter," said Baihumon dismissively. "Come on, Ebonwumon, we have no place here anymore!" And so the other three guardians stormed out, slamming the wooden door behind them with a loud _BANG. _Hiamon watched from under the cabin with disbelief as they stormed off in the distance. Inside above them, Zhuqiaomon spat angrily.

"Idiots," he muttered. "You won't be missed. I'm the only one who ever does anything around here, anyway." Then all was quiet, except for the sparrow's occasional outbursts of curses.

Hiamon's heart was pounding with joy. "Did you hear that?" he said, turning to Kibamon with excitement in his eyes. "The other guardians have left!"

Kibamon frowned. "That won't make much difference. I would be much happier if _we_ were the ones leaving."

"So, do you believe me _now_?" the dragon asked as they carefully emerged out from under the cabin.

"Well, there's not much else I can believe now," he said in an almost defeated tone.

Hiamon felt better than ever in the cool air. As he spread his wings and allowed Kibamon on his back, he thought of how much progress he had made in the past day. Now that everyone believed him, he would be able to plan their next move. But if he wasn't careful, their next plan could end in disaster . . .

***

Hiamon's plan was formed at supper. Two hours after curfew, they would leave their cabin forever and set out for freedom. Freedom . . . it had been ages since he had tasted it.

"But what about Angemon?" Suraiimon had asked.

"We'll pick him up," said Hiamon. "Then _he_ can see what freedom is like . . ."  
"It'll be nice for him to go back to Midgard City after all these months," said Mikemon dreamily.

"And that's where we'll be going, too," said Hiamon. "To see if anyone knew my dad . . ."

"I wonder what Midgard will be like," Mekanorimon thought aloud. "Lots of buildings, I think, with lots of trees . . ."

Kibamon could have slapped him. As Angemon set his tray down, the snow leopard asked: "Are you _nuts_? At least give us time to escape first!"  
That had never come up before. It had no occurred to them that they might not escape. The images of that Digimon that Zhuqiaomon had caught years ago and killed was still in their minds. Nobody went out and said it, but they were taking a big risk, perhaps the biggest risk they had ever taken.

***

The night air was surprisingly chilly. Takumi, in Digimon form, was the first to get out of the cabin. After he had made sure the coast was clear, he motioned for his friends to follow. Out they came, down the steps, silent. They must be quiet. Everything could depend on it. They sneaked away into the darkness, Takumi wishing he could walk at a leisurely pace. It was a pleasantly cool evening.

"Be quiet!" Shun hushed after Ryota staggered about after tripping on an out-of-place stone. "We have to go pick up Angemon. There could be guards."

Around the corner, sure enough, was Shadramon, night patrolling. He did not notice them as they slipped down an alley. Angemon's cabin, with several other prisoners, was near. but before they reached it they heard a horrifying sound.

"URGH!" A loud, skin-crawling shout sounded and echoed in the night. Hiamon looked up and to his horror saw two red flames. Suraiimon covered her mouth with her paw, Hiamon realized she had not seen this happen. Nor had Ryota or Shun. The red flames vanished as quickly as they had appeared. There was a high moaning sound. Then silence.

"It looks like Zhuqiaomon's already got another prisoner," Hiamon said grimly. He looked up into the darkness.

"Was that Angemon?" gasped Suraiimon.

"No," said Kibamon. "Angemon doesn't sound like that."  
"Then who was it?"  
"Let's see . . ." contemplated Mekanorimon. "There were fifteen Digimon here . . . eight were vaccine or data type. Three have disappeared, so that's leaves five . . . Mikemon and Suraiimon are with us, that's three . . . it's not Angemon, so there's two possible Digimon it can be."  
Suraiimon frowned. "Then who does that leave?" she asked, puzzled.

Kibamon looked down. "Well - there's Monochromon and . . . Garurumon. Yes."  
"So which one disappeared?" Hiamon asked. He remembered the two battle-loving Digimon who were present at the Kabuterimon-Kuwagamon fight.

No one knew.

"Garurumon!" Yuka cried suddenly.

Kibamon studied her face, as though checking to see if her head was screwed on correctly.

"Garurumon? Why Garurumon?" Hiamon asked with a frown.

"Remember this morning at breakfast? Garurumon bumped into Zhuqiaomon! He seemed pretty angry. And what better way to get back at him than by killing him?" 

Hiamon nodded. "It sounds like something Zhuqiaomon would do." He kicked a dead leaf out of his way. "Well, we'd better go pick up Angemon now, right guys? Right?" Receiving only silence, he turned to his friends. "What?"

And then he found just what. On his friends' faces were looks of astonishment. Almost directly overhead, two red flares flew again. "Another one?" gasped Hiamon. "Zhuqiaomon's working overtime tonight!"  
Then there was a low shout which also echoed in the night, then fighting. Then there were shouts of "No!" and then all was quiet. For a few minutes they stood there in silence, shaken at the events that had just transpired.

"Well?" Hiamon finally broke the silence. "Who do you think _that_ was?"  
"Not Angemon," Kibamon shook his head. "Those shouts didn't sound anything like him." As he spoke, his smoke-like breath shot from his mouth.

"Then that must have been Monochromon," said Mekanorimon sadly.

"At least it wasn't Angemon that was killed," said Suraiimon, attempting to be optimistic.

Hiamon shivered in the freezing cold. "We can't rule that out yet. For all we know Zhuqiaomon might come back for a third helping - and that could be Angemon."

"Or us," said Mikemon bluntly.

Hiamon looked up at the dark clouds as they took this all in. They _could_ be the next ones to go . . . so far, none of them had disappeared yet. But it was only a matter of time until Zhuqiaomon picked them off, too . . .

"So, should we go and get Angemon, or should we head back to our cabin?" Mekanorimon asked.

The Team did not have long to ponder this question. A voice from behind them cried, "Hey! What is that?"  
Instinctively, the Genesis Team ran to the end of the alleyway and turned a corner. As they took a different route, they could hear Shadramon say, "Huh, must have been seeing things again . . ." Breathlessly, they dashed up the steps of their own cabin and locked the door tightly behind them. Once there and in human form, Hiamon plopped down into bed.

"Ow!"  
"You idiot. Don't you ever use your brain? I don't think Zhuqiaomon's going to stop hunting now, Takumi." The boy walked around the room, deep in thought. "We need a guard. To warn us if Zhuqiaomon's coming. But who would be kind enough to sacrifice their sleep for safety? Hmm . . ." He pretended to be thinking over the matter. "How about you, Takumi?"  
"Me!?"  
"That's okay," said a soft voice. It was Yuka's. "I'll be guard for tonight. I don't feel sleepy, anyway."  
"Aw, Yuka, you don't have to do that," said Mekanorimon.

"No, I insist," she said with a half-smile. She left through the door, leaving the other members of the Genesis Team gaping at a closed door.

"Don't worry," said Takumi, throwing the covers over a human body. "She's used to not getting much sleep." But he sure wasn't. In the comfortable, warm cabin, his head on his soft pillow, he closed his eyes and went to sleep, the others scowling at him.

***

The routine at Purification Camp was growing so familiar that it almost seemed like home. The days of the old world, days when he did not have to work twelve hours a day without food, were long past. They were blurry. Still in his mind were the longings to find out what had happened to his father, and of their mission in the Digital World. He also thought of escaping from this horrible prison, this death camp. So it was not surprising that he got up that morning, awakened by bells, changed into his Digimon form, and left for breakfast with his friends in an almost robotic way.

What was surprising is what they would learn in the cafeteria that morning. After setting down a tray piled with disgusting food at his favorite table, Hiamon was not expecting anything unusual. But to be in the Digital World for a day, for even a second, and not to experience anything out of the ordinary was unusual in itself. The surprise came when Kibamon set his tray down right next to Hiamon and pointed. "Look!" the snow leopard cried.

"What?" asked Hiamon tiredly.

And there they were. Sitting at a distant table, looking quite healthy and very much relaxed was Monochromon and Garurumon. They were arguing over who would win in a battle: Triceramon or Vermilimon. Monochromon was calmly drinking some water. "Vermilimon, hands down. The fire power and the speed. Triceramon just can't match it."  
"Match _what_?" Garurumon replied, sounding insulted. "His speed? What are you saying, what are you saying? Triceramon's the fastest ultimate on land."  
"Still doesn't mean he's powerful."  
"Yes it does."  
"No it doesn't."  
"Yes it does."  
Hiamon turned to Kibamon, horrified. "Do you think - Angemon disappeared last night?"  
Kibamon barely had time to open his mouth before the white angel Digimon sat down next to him, carrying in his hands a tray of almost no food. "I missed you last night," he said, taking a nibble of green beans. He sniffed at a small, thin bean and threw it at Devimon. It hit him on the back, but Devimon didn't notice.

"Yeah, well, we decided we weren't going to run away after all," said Kibamon as Shun, in Digimon form, joined them.

"Thank goodness you're safe," said the robot, just before the girls dropped their trays on the table. "Did you hear? _Two_ Digimon disappeared last night, Monochromon and Garurumon. I saw -"

"What are you talking about?" asked Angemon, puzzled. "Monochromon and Garurumon are right there." With his finger he pointed to the two battle-loving Digimon, sitting three tables behind them. Upon seeing them, Suraiimon nearly let her food fall from her mouth.

"WHAT THE HECK!?" Mekanorimon exclaimed before getting slapped by Suraiimon. "What are they doing here? They're supposed to be DEAD!"

"Shut _up,_ Shun!" hissed Suraiimon, slapping him again. "Obviously they're _not_ dead."

"But that means some other Digimon were killed last night," Hiamon said blandly.

"But there's no vaccine or data Digimon left!" shouted Mekanorimon. "Unless . . ." The group stared back at the virus table. Next to it was the empty guardian table. At the virus table sat Devimon, looking very frightened, as though he had just seen a ghost. He kept turning around suspiciously, as if some invisible enemy was going to attack him from behind. And he was alone. The seats where his companions MetalGreymon and SkullGreymon sat were vacant. The only other virus type there was Kuwagamon.

"No way!" gasped Kibamon in disbelief. He was staring wide-eyed at the empty seats. "You don't think . . ."  
_BROOHSH._

With a loud blast the cafeteria doors were blown open. Glass shattered the nearby tables, and the destructed objects hung limply on their hinges. In stepped a furious Zhuqiaomon. His eyes were narrowed with anger and rage and his giant body radiated a great heat. Everyone was silent as he pointed with an outstretched claw at a Babamon standing in the middle of the cafeteria.

"You!" he growled menacingly.

This Babamon was different from the other cafeteria workers. Most of them carried big brooms, but this one carried a large staffs. On her clothes was a tag that read: MANAGER. Its mouth was stitched in a frown. "Me?" she growled, perplexed. All eyes stood on her and the guardian.

"Yes, you!" Zhuqiaomon roared, drawing his claw. "What is the _meaning_ of this?"  
"Meaning of _what_?" asked the cafeteria manager, looking around for a hint, as though this was all just a big joke.

"You know perfectly well as to what I'm talking about!" he thundered, striding over to the confused creature.

_SPOUF._

One minute, the Babamon was looking up at her boss, the next she was on the floor, struggling to get up. She had hit her back hard on the tiled floor and could not find her feet. She was never to be on them again.

"You disgusting, vile being! You have no place in this world!"

The ones eating breakfast watched in horror as Zhuqiaomon formed a tremendous fireball in his wing, shouted, "Kouen!" and shot it at the bewildered Babamon. The cafeteria manager exploded into bits. All that remained of her was her MANAGER tag, which fell to the floor with a loud _CLIP _long after the data particles had vanished. And yet Zhuqiaomon stood there, still angry, still breathing hard after his sudden attack. Then he calmly picked up the tag on the floor as though he had only dropped it.

"You there," he said tranquilly, addressing a Babamon as he always addressed Digimon. The Babamon had watched the entire scene and was clearly devastated, but she did not need a second's hesitation to obey Zhuqiaomon's command. "You are the new manager," he told her, pinning the tag to her apron. Then, loud enough for the whole room to hear, he added: "I expect no funny business from you . . . from any of you." He passed a whole line of Babamon workers. They tried their best to stand up straight, but the guardian did not even look at them as he passed. Then the great sparrow went to the front of the cafeteria and spoke what became known to Takumi and his friends as "The Cover-Up Speech".

"Recently," he began, "we have been moving some of our members to other camps. This is to balance them all out. We make these changes suddenly and rapidly. Do not be surprised if you see some of your friends move to other camps." He looked into the audience, as if hoping for a sign that his story registered.

"Also, the other guardians have left on a mission trip for King Daemon. They will be back in about, oh, two weeks. But you will find that I am very much able - as I have always been very much able - to run this camp by myself. Be warned, rule breakers: There will be no funny business while I am in charge. Any of that nonsense I will not deal with. If I have to speak to any of you for the remainder of your time here I will kill you like I killed that Babamon." As he started at his horrified audience, waiting for them to take it all in, Hiamon thought that Zhuqiaomon was looking directly at him.

"Please make note that any and all foolishness should be reported to me at once. If you find that your fellow prisoners are less than happy about some of my rules, report them to me. I will reward you greatly for it, just like I rewarded Kuwagamon. Kuwagamon, if you'll stand up please? See that gold armor? Yes, I will give that to you." He walked around the tables, looking into each Digimon's eyes as he passed, scanning them for guilt.

"That is all. Some of you only have a few days left. Just for your own sake, try to make them a good few last days." He floated through the destroyed doors. And he departed, leaving a crowd of astonished Digimon.

"Did you _see_ that!?" Monochromon was saying. "He killed her! BAM! Just like that! Didn't even have to think about it!"  
"Who do you think's better, Jijimon or Babamon?"

Hiamon looked at his friends, fright painted on his face. "Why'd he do _that_?" He looked down at where Babamon used to lay.

"'Cause he's a cold-hearted sicko, that's what," said Kibamon, still staring at the spot where Babamon was killed. "Kabuterimon two days ago wasn't enough. Kabuterimon survived, didn't he? This is just a way of showing us that he means business." He looked around at the other prisoners, who were just as frightened as they were. "And it seems to have worked, too."

Angemon threw his balled-up napkin on his tray and sat up. "Exactly. That's just his intimidation tactics."

When he was outside of the cafeteria, Hiamon thought an even better intimidation tactic for Zhuqiaomon would be revealing what he _really_ did each night. In a disturbing fear, he looked around at the Digimon who were helping him complete the fourth and final stone: Kuwagamon, Devimon, Monochromon, Angemon, Kibamon, Mekanorimon, Suraiimon, and Mikemon. Would they be here the next day? Takumi tried to discourage such thoughts from his mind. But with a smirking Zhuqiaomon looming over them, watching their every move, he found it difficult. He just tried to remember: _Just two more days._ The question was, would he survive them?

***

It was at dinner time that Hiamon had this theory on the disappearances torn to pieces. the prosecutor was Kibamon, to no one's surprise. Hiamon had almost grown to like him, but after a day of believing Takumi he had finally snapped.

"It doesn't make any sense," the snow leopard said after everyone was seated. "According to your theory, it was Zhuqiaomon who killed two virus-type Digimon. Now I ask you, why would Zhuqiaomon kill two virus-types? It just doesn't add up."  
"Of _course_ it doesn't add up," countered Hiamon, pouring ketchup all over his artificial meat patty. He bit into it and said, "That's what Zhuqiaomon _wants _you to believe. He probably knew that we were on his trail, so he tried to throw us off. And what better way to do that than kill one - no, two of his own kind? No one would suspect him. Everyone would buy his cock-and-bull story." He set his water bowl down.

Angemon shook his head. "I think I might agree with Kibamon this time. Things just don't add up, and would Zhuqiaomon really kill two virus types to keep us sidetracked?"  
"Sounds like something Zhuqiaomon would do," said Hiamon, playing with a balled-up napkin.

"We could be all wrong," said Mekanorimon with doubt. "Perhaps we're jumping to conclusions again. Remember Mr. Mes and the Shadow Gang?"  
Reina nodded, unsure what to think.

"You're all just being ignorant again," said Hiamon irritably. "Why can't you believe me for once?"  
"We're not being ignorant, Takumi," said Kibamon crossly. "Rather, you're the one being ignorant. We know we're in a bad situation. But you instantly point to Zhuqiaomon. But what if it's not Zhuqiaomon?" He became much more quieter. "What if it's . . . something else - something more powerful than Zhuqiaomon?"  
Hiamon shook his head. He was not ready to accept this new theory. "What about all that we heard when we were spying on the guardians? They're behind this in some way. I'm sure of it . . ."  
Kibamon sighed. He could not answer this question. And as long as he couldn't, Takumi's theory remained accepted.

By the sixth day, things were getting a little hectic: The last night, three Digimon had disappeared, and no one (except probably Zhuqiaomon) knew where they had gone. This time, a vaccine, a data, and a virus type had disappeared - Garurumon, Monochromon, and Kuwagamon. Fortunately, Angemon remained, but Takumi could not help but feel a bit of sadness towards Garurumon and Monochromon. He would miss their arguments of Digimon battles. Kuwagamon was another story entirely. He would never get over the fact that the insectoids' vicious battle with Kabuterimon which nearly got the latter killed.

As his friends started to get seated around him, Zhuqiaomon stormed in, obviously angry. The guardian had blown open the cafeteria doors, shot a fireball through the ceiling, and impaled a Babamon through the head, but he still seemed frustrated, as if everyone knew something that he didn't. It was becoming more and more apparent that Zhuqiaomon hadn't been the one conducting the attacks.

Meanwhile, the Babamon had gone on strike. Because of "low wages" and what they called "poor working conditions" the Babamon had walked out of the camp. Zhuqiaomon did not stop them, but he was left to prepare the meals all by himself. With each bite Hiamon regretted the Babamon's departure.

"We're not getting dinner tonight," Kibamon informed them as he sat down at the table. "I saw Zhuqiaomon in the kitchens. Eggs were splattered all over the floor, and a microwave exploded. Zhuqiaomon just about went crazy."

Hiamon laughed out loud. The thought of the powerful, almost evil sparrow Digimon cooking in pots and pans could make anyone laugh.

"Just one day to go," Takumi told himself as his fangs bit into a hard loaf of bread. He could have thrown it on the floor and it would have broke into a million pieces.

"That's right," said Suraiimon happily. "Soon, we'll be enjoying Midgard City."  
"It's my last day too," said Angemon. "I've just got to get out of trouble, that's all."  
"That can be hard for a vaccine type here," said Angemon as a furious Zhuqiaomon passed by. When the great sparrow neared the door, he addressed the remaining Digimon:  
"You are to get to work at once! I have told you many times before, those who work hard are rewarded! Now go! I have many things to do!"  
After Zhuqiaomon had left and after Hiamon had eaten the awful food, he did just that. He threw away his paper tray and left through the broken old doors. Outside, there was only one Digimon, Devimon. He was looking around in disbelief, like someone who had just realized that a lot of time had passed by. But he couldn't worry about Devimon now, he had to get to work. If he didn't, Zhuqiaomon would catch him and give him another week - something that Takumi did _not _want, with only one day left after this one.

With a sort of pride, the dragon Digimon stared up at the four black stones they had been building. It was really quite marvelous that they had achieved so much in such a short amount of time. His only regret was that the energy used to construct these ugly things could not be diverted to a better cause, like finding out what had happened to his father.

He began the work that had almost become like routine. He flew to the withered old black mountain and collected its black minerals. Then he compressed them into the large rock. _THWACK, THWACK, THWACK._ Soon, his friends joined him. With their help, the great stone became larger than ever before. As he picked up a heavy rock, Suraiimon brushed his side.

"How are you doing?" she asked as she fitted a small black stone into her mouth.

"Okay," he replied, shrugging. That was an overstatement. "Well . . . I'm not doing that bad . . . just -"

"Just what?" The two trotted over toward the big rock.

"I'm just worried, that's all. This is our last day here . . . our second-to-last, I mean. But we have to survive the night first." He looked up into the dark sky. "But . . ."

"You think that there'll be more killings tonight?"  
Hiamon clenched his fists. "Probably." He sighed, and they walked on. "You know . . . something's been bugging me lately. Ever since we got here - to the Digital World - death is no longer an illusion . . . it's a reality now. Naoki died, we heard of the Slaughters . . . and now this." They reached the top of the rock and added their stones to it.

"You think that one of us won't survive this?" the fox asked. Hiamon stopped in his tracks. As he looked up at the sky again, a chilly wind made him shiver. He didn't want to answer this question. His friends . . . he looked at his friends, all of them. Even if they had their arguments, they were and would always be his friends - Ryota, Shun, Yuka, Angemon - and Reina. They had been through so much together. As long as they were with him, they could do anything, right? He kicked a small pebble out of his way.

"I don't know," he told Reina. "I have these visions of having our last day at camp, all of us. And Angemon leads us into Midgard City." He looked at the fox. "But something tells me that it won't be that way. It can't have a happy ending."  
Suraiimon surveyed him through her beautiful green eyes. "Don't tell yourself that. Everything will be all right."  
Hiamon looked down at her. "I would hate to have one of my friends die because of something I did."  
The fox Digimon cocked her head. "Something _you_ did? You haven't done anything."  
Hiamon sighed, trudging back up to the rock pile. "It's just . . . I don't know what to think anymore. I worry about the killings at this camp, but right now we don't even know who's doing the killings. All this time I've been pointing my finger at Zhuqiaomon, thinking he was the obvious culprit. And evidence seems to point to him. But yesterday, two virus types were killed - well, at least they disappeared. That complicates things a bit. With Ryota having his own theory, I keep thinking that maybe I did something wrong. I don't know - I'm just worried. What if I'm so attached to my theory that I won't be able to let go? What if I just _can't_ let go? And if I can't, what if I'm totally wrong and I put us all in danger? It's like running from a cub and running into a bear. Or something. I don't know."

For a few seconds, the both of them were quiet. Then Suraiimon looked up at him and asked, "Well? What do you think?" She stared directly into his eyes. "Do you think that Zhuqiaomon is doing these attacks?"  
Hiamon had to think about it. _Was _Zhuqiaomon killing Digimon at night? He looked down at his feet, then into the fox Digimon's warm eyes. They seemed to be pleading for him to make the right answer. But what was it? Yes, Zhuqiaomon was killing Digimon - or no, Zhuqiaomon wasn't? Then the answer came to him, like he had know it all along.

"No," he said, still looking into Suraiimon's eyes. "No. Zhuqiaomon is bad - possibly evil, but - no. He just can't be the killer." He thought about the day he and Kibamon had gone spying. "The fact is, he doesn't know what's going on here. No one does." He thought about the guardian's story of Kabuterimon being cleared. "He's scared," he continued. "He's scared that we'll think he's not in charge. But he fears us the most. He's worried about his reputation. And he's worried about the real killer." He stared into her eyes again. "He killed Babamon because he wanted us to fear him again. But we know the truth. He's afraid of us."

"Exactly. We're in more trouble than ever, Takumi," Suraiimon said. "We were thinking that Zhuqiaomon was behind this. But now we don't know who's behind it. Like Ryota said, it could be even more powerful than Zhuqiaomon. Takumi, as long as we're here - as long as we're at Purification Camp - we're not safe. not even Zhuqiaomon is. What else could kill Digimon from right under his nose?" She exhaled.

They worked hard for the rest of the day, the Team talking to one another about Takumi and Reina's new theories. The Team, including Kibamon and Angemon, accepted them, for they were the most valid. Then the curfew bells rang and the Digimon - now seven in number - flocked back to their beds. They went without supper that night (largely due to Zhuqiaomon's poor cooking skills), but the remaining guardian promised a feast for breakfast the next day (probably because the number of Digimon present would shrink to two by morning). Exhausted after a long day's work, the Team slumped into bed after saying good-night to Angemon. But none went to sleep.

***

Two nights before, when Yuka volunteered to be guard for the night, the Team drew straws. Ryota was supposed to be the guard for tonight. The guard's job was to hide under the cabin and holler if they saw anything, such as red flames. Takumi was just glad that he wouldn't ever have to deal with it.

"Just think, tomorrow we'll be on our way to Midgard City," remarked Reina as a grumbling Ryota tiredly got up from his bed.

"I sure hope so," said Takumi with doubt as he paced about the room. He could just imagine the killer coming tonight to wipe out the remainder of the camp. There would be no going to Midgard City with Angemon. No saving the Digital World. No going home. He sighed. But what was the chance of all of them being killed? And then, as he was thinking, it came to him.

"Isn't it odd?" he asked them. Ryota was clutching the doorknob, about to exit. Takumi looked down at Shun, who was lying on his comfortable bed. Takumi began to pace more quickly. "Already, eight Digimon have disappeared. Only seven of us remain - us, Devimon, and Angemon. Now . . . isn't it odd . . . that _none_ of _us_ have disappeared yet?" He could sense his friends watching him from absorbed eyes. Takumi stared at the black Anti-Digital Destroyer in the corner. It seemed to stare back at him. For a second the boy actually thought the machine was a sentient being. But it wasn't. Still, he approached it with curiosity, saying, "There's something about this room, something that makes the killer - or whatever it is - avoid this place. Whatever it is that's killing Digimon doesn't want to come in here." He looked back at his friends, who remained quiet, except for Ryota at the door.

"Or maybe it _can't_ come in here," the new guard said, staring at the Anti-Digital Destroyer. Ryota had said what was on everybody's mind.

"But if the killer is afraid to come here," said Yuka quietly, "that means it won't come here tonight."

Shun sat up and joined in the conversation. "And that means that we have no chance of disappearing. Meaning that there are only two Digimon here that _could_ disappear. Devimon and Angemon." He wore a worried look on his face that was unlike him.

Reina gasped. "The killer. He's been killing in a pattern. For the first three days, he killed only one Digimon a night. Then two. Last night it killed three. But he can't kill four tonight. There's not enough. He'll try to kill two - Devimon and Angemon."

The impact of this sentence was like that of a bullet. Suddenly, the truth became clear: It didn't matter who the killer was. Angemon had been lucky the previous nights, but there was no getting out of this one. Unless something was done quickly, Angemon would be the next victim.

"We've got to save Angemon," said Reina decisively. "If he's going, we're going too. The killer had better watch out. We'll be ready for him!"

"Right," said Takumi, standing up straight. "Ryota, you won't be the only one going out that door tonight."  
Ryota grinned, Shun stood up. "So, what's the plan?" the latter asked, slapping his fist in his hand in anticipation.

"We sneak out of here," said Takumi, "then we go to Angemon's cabin."  
"And then we leave?" the eighth grader asked.

"No," frowned Takumi. "We're going to meet this killer. We're going to pay him back for all the trouble he's caused."

Shun gulped. Ryota and Reina looked at him with uncertainty. This was the most risky part of Takumi's plan, and he knew it. And though it would be nice to escape camp forever, the memories of the killer that was never caught would haunt them all forever.

"Don't worry, guys," he assured them. "It'll be six against one, and me and Ryota can transform to our ultimate forms." This did not completely make them feel better, but it gave them a reason to set out.

Ryota turned the door handle. "This will be dangerous," he said. Takumi frowned. It was unlike him to be cautious.

"But we'll be prepared," Takumi said. He reached into his pockets for his D-Monster. "Keep close to your D-monster. We may need it later on."  
Soon the group gathered around the door and within minutes were outside in the cold air again. Reina was shivering, Shun's teeth were chattering. Takumi in the lead was also chilly, though he didn't want to show it. Going off to wait for their enemy in the dark while shivering in the cold was less than heroic. He could have easily transformed to give himself a hotter body temperature, but that would not be fair to his friends.

For the first few minutes everything went smoothly, in spite of the Team being less than warm. Then they came into an alley and saw just what they did not want to see. Shadramon was out patrolling again, a torch in his hand.

"Get down!" Takumi ordered, hoping that they could steal away in the shadows without Shadramon noticing them. Not only was the plan a failure, it backfired.

"AAGH! PEOPLE OUT OF BED!" Shadramon shouted when he spotted them. He held up his torch to reveal Takumi, Ryota, Shun, Yuka, and Reina crouching down near an old building. To say he was shocked to find humans there was an understatement.

"What the -" he gasped, and before long, his torch was not the only light. In his eyes reflected flashes of red, blue, gray, yellow, and brown. When the light disappeared the insectoid Digimon found himself confronting five fully-grown beasts.

Shadramon shook his head wildly in a sort of disbelief. "No . . . you get back to bed . . . NOW!"  
"We decline," Kibamon said simply. "Now, if you don't go away now, we'll kill you."  
"You wouldn't!" Shadramon shouted hoarsely, wielding his torch. "That's - that's an empty threat!"

But the threat was not empty. With a growl Kibamon set off at a run and clawed at the red insectoid Digimon. Shadramon let out an astonished squeak as Kibamon delivered another scratch at the bug's wing. Before Shadramon could even retaliate, he had been sliced into four pieces. Then he fell to the ground and exploded into a thousand bits, the torch going out with him. Then all was dark and quiet like nothing had ever happened.

The Team did not speak of their encounter with Shadramon as they headed down to Angemon's cabin, nor were they very sorry he had been killed. Out of hunger for power and respect he had dedicated himself to pleasing Zhuqiaomon. The Genesis Team went on.

With Shadramon out of the way, they traveled at a quicker pace than ever and shortly arrived at the only cabin that housed Digimon anymore. Cautiously, Takumi led them up the steps. He knew that Devimon shared a room with Angemon and knew that the virus type would not be kept quiet if he spotted his roommate with _humans._ With a skin-crawling fear Hiamon knocked on the door, his friends waiting anxiously behind him. He was surprised to find that the door was opened quickly for them.

"Come in," whispered Angemon, a finger to his lips to signal silence. "I was expecting you - well, expecting _something._ Don't worry, Devimon's not in here . . ."

"He's not?" asked Suraiimon in surprise. "Why?"

"I don't know," replied Angemon. "Things have been very odd around here lately."  
When the door had been shut and locked tightly, Angemon gave them a quick tour of his cabin. On one corner of the room was Angemon's bed, and in another corner was Devimon's empty bed. Hiamon noticed that the sheets and blankets looked much more comfortable than their own back in the cabin. It was also colder too; wind whistled and entered the little room through a small crack in the ceiling. Other than that, there was nothing else but a single lit candle on Devimon's nightstand.

"Where could Devimon be?" asked Suraiimon, who was clearly more worried about Devimon than anyone else.

"I don't know," said Angemon, sitting down on his small pile of sheets. "He was here this morning, so he didn't disappear . . ."  
"Unless the killer made an early trip tonight," said Mekanorimon grimly.

"No, he just didn't come to the cabin after curfew," said Angemon, ready to change the subject off Devimon, whom he probably hated. "Now, tell me . . . what brings you here? I'm glad you've paid me a visit, but why tonight?" He laughed nervously.

"Angemon," said Hiamon seriously, who stopped pacing around the room to look at his friend, "the killer is going to take off with you and Devimon tonight. Don't you know that? You're in danger."  
For a moment there was silence. Hiamon wondered if he had broke the news in the wrong way. But Angemon had to know sooner or later.

"I know," Angemon revealed, standing up and gazing down at the flickering candle. his face seemed old and weary in its glow. "I know that something's coming tonight." He looked down at the Genesis Team. "I've been lucky these past few nights. But there is no more luck left. Tonight the killer is going after me."  
"And Devimon," said Mekanorimon. "But we knew that as long as you were in danger, we couldn't sleep peacefully."  
For the first time Hiamon had ever seen, a smile lit up on Angemon's face. "My friends," he said, "thank you. You're the best friends I've ever had, human or Digimon. I just wish that I could have seen other humans." He let out a deep, sad sigh.

Hiamon was moved by Angemon's words. Now he had, burning like fire inside of him, a zeal to protect his friends, to allow him to survive . . . he could not let him down."

"So, what are we going to do tonight?" asked Mekanorimon, almost touching the candle's flame with a long metal finger.

"We wait," said Hiamon. "We'll wait for the enemy to come to us." 

***

And that's just what they did. For hours they sat around, saying nothing, doing nothing, except stare at the door. If the killer was coming tonight, that would be the only way he could enter, whoever it was . . .

All night questions buzzed like insects inside Takumi's head. Who was the killer? Where was Devimon? What were Zhuqiaomon and the other guardians talking about on that morning when he and Ryota had spied on them? Speaking of Zhuqiaomon, was he a part in all of this? Takumi sighed. Usually he preferred silence, it gave him time to think. But not there was too much silence, and when there was too much silence, he got bored, and when he got bored, he began to think - hard. And tonight, because of all the strange things going on lately, he was thinking too hard and ended up confusing himself. he wished for a sound of some sort, a voice, _anything_ to break the unhealthy silence. He got his wish a minute later, when Yuka began to speak in a quiet voice. But the second he heard it, he wished that he had been more careful about what he had wished for . . .

"It's coming," Mikemon said in a sudden whisper. In the quiet the voice was loud, penetrating, and in the darkness everyone turned to look at the speaker.

"Yuka?" said Reina with a yawn. "What's wrong?"  
"Shh . . ." the child replied, putting a finger to her lips. "It's coming . . . coming closer . . ." She shivered. "Cold . . ."  
Angemon jumped out of his bed, an intense look of fear on his weary face. "What's coming? Not -"

"Yes," nodded Yuka. "I can _feel _it . . ."  
"Oh, shut up Yuka, you give me the creeps," said Kibamon harshly. Mikemon paid him no attention.

"It's here!" the cat Digimon exclaimed with a worried glance at the door. Then Takumi saw what she was talking about - something outside, cloaked n black, was pounding at the door.

"Oh my gosh," said Shun, clasping a hand to his mouth.

Angemon turned to them all with a fiery look in his eyes. "My friends," he said softly, "if there's anything I want you to do . . . please, protect my army back in Midgard City. Make sure it doesn't fail. I want it to succeed. I want it to be my mark placed upon the world."  
After stealing a swift look at the cabin door that continued to pound, Hiamon looked up at Angemon with hope. "Don't worry," he tried to assure, though he was unsure of himself and everything else. "Tomorrow we'll all go to Midgard City - we'll all go there together."  
Angemon shook his head defiantly. "No. That is not how things are to be." He stared at the door and looked down at all of them. "The killer is coming for me. And it will take me. Please, protect my army, my friends. That is my last request. You have been such great friends to me . . . it is said that we shall see each other no more."  
He spoke the words with such dignity that no one in the cabin spoke out against him. Only Mikemon said anything, and it was in the form of a warning. "He's going to attack!" she cried hysterically, pulling at her own cat ears.

And attack the killer did. With a devastating pound, the door was thrown open and collapsed on its hinges. In the doorway stood a figure cloaked in shadow. And like a shadow it moved eerily along the walls, almost resembling a black snake, twisting and whirling its way through murky waters. As it moved it released a ghostlike sound from its body that sounded like steam. The Team (with Angemon), stood in horror, gaping at the horrid sight. They were confronting the killer.

"Attack!" Hiamon gave the battle cry, and soon the cabin was in chaos. Beds were destroyed, candles knocked over, and walls were knocked down in the Team's rush to protect themselves. They assaulted the shadowy killer with attack on attack, but no Digimon was able to give considerable damage to their opponent.

"Flame Rain!"  
"Arctic Arrow!"  
"Twin Beam!"  
"Cat Claw!"

"Season Nail!"

"Hand of Fate!"

The cloaked figure stood his ground and calmly absorbed each attack. With astonishing defense, the killer rendered their techniques completely useless. Tired and no longer willing to waste valuable time battling inferior and weak morons like themselves, the shadowy killer darted under wreckage and disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" cried Kibamon with desperation, wanting to look around and yet afraid to look around. Angemon stood still, not doing anything, no attacking, not even looking around, as if in surrender to his fate. With everyone dumbfounded, the sneaky killer made his move. The destroyed bed opened up like a volcano, and out came the dark figure. In an instant the thing hurled itself onto Angemon and circled around him like a shark.

"Angemon, no!" Mekanorimon shouted as the Team looked on, paralyzed with fear.

But Angemon had already made up his mind long ago. He had no more will to survive, none even to attempt to survive. The shadow tied itself around the angel Digimon like a rope. When the figure reached his head, it stopped and dragged the angel up in the air. Angemon was his captive. Oblivious to the others, the killer headed for the doorway, clutching Angemon like a small toy.

"No!" shouted Hiamon. In his anguish he created a massive fireball and threw it at the wretched shadow. It did nothing but get the killer mad (and it left a hole in the wall just as big as the fireball itself). In retaliation, the cloaked figure returned, still carrying Angemon in his arms. Then it all came to Takumi - they weren't out of danger. When they were in their cabin, they were safe, but outside of it . . . To confirm his fears, the cloaked figure made Mikemon his next victim. Just like before, it circled around like a shark and wrapped itself around her body. Mikemon, though, was not ready to surrender yet. She struggled, and she fought. But it was no use.

"Yuka!" cried Suraiimon, her eyes filled with shock and tears.

"No!' shouted Hiamon, his head ready to burst from anger.

"Let me go!" cried Mikemon, kicking and gasping in the murderer's arms. "Stop hurting me!" And to everyone's astonishment, the killer released her. The cat Digimon dropped to the ground softly, probably very surprised that he had obeyed. The rest of the Team was, but they were far from elated. The shadow still had hold of Angemon.

"LET GO OF HIM!" Mekanorimon thundered. The shadow drew his hand into its cloak and withdrew a red fireball and threw it at the Team in reply. The fireball went through the roof of the cabin and into the cloudy night sky above them.

_So that's what that was, _Takumi thought, but this wasn't the time or the place to solve mysteries. As quickly as it had came, the shadowed figure made its escape through the door and set off far away into the night. As the killer made its departure, Angemon repeated his last request: "PROTECT MY ARMY!" The command echoed against the nearby mountains in the dark.

Hiamon stood near the cabin, his fists clenched in rage. Outside he watched the black dot that was the killer disappear off into the night. "Dang it!" he shouted as Suraiimon joined him. "Dang it!"

"It's not your fault," Suraiimon said, trying her hardest to comfort him. "Maybe Angemon was _destined_ to be captured . . . maybe he knew it, too. That's why he was so calm. Oh, I wish it wasn't his destiny!"

"We're going to change his destiny," said Hiamon, folding his arms defiantly. Soon, the others had gathered along beside them, gazing up at the sky.

"Well, there's only one thing we can do now," said Mekanorimon, "and that's to follow them."

Hiamon frowned. This would not be easy. The killer could've gone anywhere. Only now he realized how desperate the situation was.

"All right then," the dragon instructed. "Ryota, you transform to Hypothermon so I won't have to carry you. Reina, you and Yuka can ride on my back. You ready?"

_SBOOOM._

His battle plans were interrupted by a loud blast from the cafeteria. A huge wall of fire appeared right in front of them. From it came the last Digimon that he wanted to see tonight: Zhuqiaomon. The sparrow guardian let out a high screech, then surveyed the transformed Team with a look of hatred in his tiny, narrow eyes.

"What have we here?" he asked deliciously to himself. He smiled evilly and looked at them like he had just caught some people in a criminal act. But that was what they were - criminals. They had broke the curfew law. the Team said nothing as Zhuqiaomon circled them as he had done to Kabuterimon just days ago. As he watched the guardian, Hiamon realized that though Zhuqiaomon was definitely not the killer, he was still intimidating.

"Broken a little law, have we?" the bird said to himself again. He stopped and released a rotten, hot fire breath. Then he came serious. "Well then, you'll just have to come with me. There'll be no one breaking curfew while _I'm_ in charge . . . well, come along, march!'

Still quiet, the exasperated Team followed Zhuqiaomon back to his own cabin. Hiamon sighed. They couldn't get a break. He'd thought they had been unlucky before, but now that they had finally been caught, they'd never get to Angemon, even if they knew where he and the killer had gone. And who was the killer, anyway?

Led by Zhuqiaomon, they rounded a corner. Hiamon knew the way to the guardian's cabin, but the walk on this night seemed to take hours. So it was a relief when Zhuqiaomon's cabin came into sight, up ahead of all the buildings of the camp. But before they even reached the hill on which it lay, they were stopped by a long shadow.

_The killer! _Hiamon thought instantly, a ray of hope shining. Then he fought back the hope. The murderer wouldn't make a second trip . . . would he? 

As it turned out, the shadow belonged to none other than Devimon, who was shivered behind a row of cabins.

"Devimon!" shouted Zhuqiaomon when he saw him. "I thought I told you to _stay - in - the - cabin!"_

"I - I was afraid, Sir."  
"Afraid? Of what? Devimon, you're a fool if you think that - well, that _thing - _would even attempt to enter _my _cabin!"

"I know, I know." Seeing the Team behind Zhuqiaomon, he asked, "Who are those you have with you, Sir?"  
Zhuqiaomon grinned in the darkness. "They will be joining us tonight," he said as casually as if he had just invited them over for tea. "You there, behind me! Pick up the pace, would you please? I don't want to have to stay here in the cold all night long."  
And so Hiamon walked faster, deep in thought all the while. So Zhuqiaomon had let Devimon come over to be safe from the killer . . . all because he was a virus type. Hiamon wondered why he hadn't been invited. Anyway, at least Zhuqiaomon wasn't completely stupid. He knew that there was a killer Digimon on the loose, even if he didn't know who or what it was. And now they were going to his cabin. But what would Zhuqiaomon do with them? Would he kill them? After all, no one was left at Purification Camp except for Zhuqiaomon, Devimon, and them! If retaliation was the punishment for fighting, what was the punishment for breaking curfew? Death? He didn't want to even think about what Zhuqiaomon was going to do to them.

The Team followed Zhuqiaomon and Devimon up the hill, past the garden, and up the wooden steps of the guardian's cabin, one by one. Then they stepped inside. Hiamon was surprised to find that Zhuqiaomon's cabin was lit like a light bulb. From the flames of the numerous candles came light; blinding, scorching light. A sort of half-table sat at the right of the room. A single, circular window lay on the wall behind it. Beneath the table was a beautiful rug with elaborate colors and designs. At the right of the room was a fireplace, its logs burning. The room was squeaky-clean, something that Takumi's mother would marvel at.

Zhuqiaomon pushed Devimon through the doorway and held the door ajar for the others to pass through. After they had entered, the guardian shut the door and locked it, then muttered something indistinguishable.

At first, Hiamon thought to sit on one of the chairs at the table, but then remembered that he was a prisoner. He stood around for a minute, alternating between sitting down and standing up. Fortunately, he did not have long to wonder about what to do.

"Stand up against the wall!" Zhuqiaomon barked, as Devimon stood uselessly in the corner, next to the table. Hiamon and the others obeyed, but then wished they hadn't. From out of no where came ropes, which tied themselves around the Team's arms and legs. Hiamon struggled, but it was no use, the ropes were too strong, and by struggling he was slowly causing himself more pain.

"So!" said Zhuqiaomon roughly, floating around the room, his eyes full of hatred. "So! You chose to break the rules, to play around! I believe that you've know for _six_ days that you are no allowed to leave your cabin at night!"

Devimon tried hard to conceal his laughter.

"Please, Sir," said Hiamon, desperate to get back to Angemon, "Angemon has been captured by that . . . thing."

"Silence!" the guardian snapped, grimacing at the dragon Digimon. Then his voice became calmer and lecture-like. "Why do you think I make these rules? Why do I make you stay inside your cabin every night? Do you know why? Do you think I just do it because I'm a grumpy old meanie? Is that what you think?"  
"Yes," Kibamon said faintly. "Jerk."

Zhuqiaomon paid him no mind. "I told you. I told you on the very first day. If you follow the rules, you will be rewarded. If you break them, you will be punished. I thought I was clear enough the first day. But you, every one of you - have refused to get it through your thick heads. There will be no rule-breaking in this -"  
"Please, Mr. Zhuqiaomon," said Suraiimon, her paws all tied up, "you've got to understand. Angemon's been captured by - whatever that thing is - _the killer_."

Hiamon thought that Zhuqiaomon would ignore her and go on with his lecture as he had done with Takumi, but the word 'killer' seemed to provoke him. The great sparrow ceased speaking, Devimon gasped and covered his mouth.

"What?" the guardian demanded. "You mean - Angemon's been attacked? He's been captured?"  
"Yes," said Mekanorimon, his metal arms and legs bound. "The murderer has got to him. Please, release us so we can go after him!"  
Zhuqiaomon said nothing while Devimon looked around suspiciously. Zhuqiaomon only put a black claw in his mouth. At first Hiamon thought that Zhuqiaomon was contemplating the matter, but then he saw a smile creep across the guardian's narrow, bird-like face.

"So," Zhuqiaomon said, beginning to laugh. "So. Angemon's time has finally come." He floated back behind the table, laughing to himself along the way. When he came to the table, he bent down and buried his head in his hands, laughing uncontrollably. Neither Devimon nor the Genesis Team knew what was going on. Finally Zhuqiaomon looked up and sighed, a happy little sigh.

"Please, Zhuqiaomon," urged Mikemon. "_Please._ We've _got _to get him back here. We have to."  
The great guardian looked down at her like he was going to tell her a sad story. "He's dead, you know." He sighed again. "Once the killer grabs you, you're history. Just like that!" He snapped his fingers, then paced back and forth, almost talking to himself. "Even if I don't know who the killer is, I know that much. Once he gets you, you're gone." He shook his head and snapped his fingers again.

_So Zhuqiaomon's definitely not the killer,_ thought Hiamon, putting his last doubts to rest.

"You couldn't get Angemon," Zhuqiaomon continued. "Even if I let you go, you wouldn't get to him. And I'm not going to let you go. I'm not going to let you go ever."

These last eight words made Takumi's heart plunge.

"You did not obey my rules," continued Zhuqiaomon, walking back to a desk at the opposite end of the room. "And I told you that those who do not obey the rules will be punished." And from his desk he pulled out a plant - a scary-looking, wiry plant. From its branches were thin, hands berries that came in red, green, and yellow. Takumi had seen this plant before, on the day that he and Ryota had spied on the guardians. The plant was one of many that grew near Zhuqiaomon's cabin. On that day it had looked scary. Now it looked even more frightening than ever.

Zhuqiaomon came back, holding the plant in his hand. "Do you know what this is?" he asked, holding the plant up to Hiamon's face. He wondered if this was a trick question. What did this little plant have to do with anything? Puzzled, he said nothing, so the sparrow showed the plant to Kibamon, then to Mekanorimon, then to Mikemon, then to Suraiimon. No one could even guess what the plant was.

"You don't know what this is?" asked Zhuqiaomon, sounding disappointed. "I'll tell you what it is. It is poison."  
There was silence. Devimon stood still in the corner, almost invisible. Zhuqiaomon broke off a red berry and shot it into his mouth. He chewed and he swallowed. The silence that followed was even more stiff - if that were possible. The revelation that the berries were poisonous and Zhuqiaomon calmly eating one simply did not add up. _Maybe he's committing suicide,_ hoped Takumi.

"You still don't get it," said the guardian, popping a green berry into his mouth and then throwing a red berry over to Devimon, who was now laughing so hard that his sides were aching. "You still don't get it. Mind if I clear things up a bit? This is poison. And you know that delicious food you eat at the cafeteria? We mix these berries into the food."

"NO!" shouted Hiamon, so full of shock that he nearly broke the ropes binding him. The others stared at him. Even as a prisoner, he felt a little embarrassed. Still, knowing that you were eating contaminated food for the past week was not a comforting thought.

"Yes. Yes, you have been eating poison. But not to worry. Why am I eating these berries now, you ask? Simple. It's all in the colors. Don't you get it? In the War Between the Types, the color of the vaccine types was red. The color of the datas was green. And the color of the virus types, yellow. But I am not to bore you with history. First I must explain the present. The colors correspond to what type is poisoned. Now, if I had been eating a yellow berry, that would be an uh-oh because I'm a virus type. See, now?"

Everyone gaped at him.

"So - what have we been eating?" asked an alarmed Suraiimon, her face pale.

"Oh, only the red and the green berries. But don't worry - unless you're a vaccine or data type, it doesn't matter." He smirked as Suraiimon and Mikemon let out astonished gasps.

"I - I ate the food!" cried Suraiimon hysterically. Mikemon blinked in disbelief as the fox Digimon cried. "I - I'm going to die!" Mikemon bowed her head, wondering of her own fate.

"Hold it a minute!" shouted Hiamon, trying to make sense of it all. "Hang on! If vaccine and data Digimon who eat the cafeteria food die, then how come Angemon wasn't poisoned? He looked perfectly fine!"  
Suraiimon and Mikemon stopped weeping to hang on to this thread of hope. Why _hadn't_ Angemon been poisoned?

Zhuqiaomon narrowed his eyes. "That stupid vaccine type, you mean? He never was poisoned because he refused to eat the STUPID FOOD! And when he did eat, he only took little nibbles, not enough to poison ANYTHING! So I had to keep on giving him another week so he would die. But he persisted. And what a waste of time, because now he's going to die anyway!" He laughed loudly as Devimon picked his nose. But then he stopped laughing and pointed a gnarled finger at Mikemon. "You dumb cat! You have also been nibbling on the food! If we were not in the current situation, I would have given you another week, so you would get poisoned and die!"

At this time, Hiamon felt guilty. He had not been poisoned because he was a virus type. But Reina and Yuka had. What if they didn't survive?

"That's what Purification Camp is," continued Zhuqiaomon. "You see, shortly after the Second Slaughter, King Daemon granted us this land. In return, we had to build a discipline camp for troublemakers. But you see, it's not really for troublemakers. It's for vaccine and data type Digimon. We find vaccines and datas on the streets in cities. Then we sentence them to a week at camp, for whatever reason. We stuff a few virus types in too, just so no one gets suspicious. But it doesn't matter, really. The virus types get better treatment than the others. Our Babamon, who used to be under our employ, would mix the vaccine and data berries into the food. Any vaccine or data type who ate the food would die. Here's a trivia question for you, folks: How long do you think you can survive after being poisoned by a vaccine or data berry?" With an evil grin, he surveyed all of them through his narrow eyes.

The answer to the question was on Hiamon's lips, it had hit him like lightning. Before he even knew what he was saying, he muttered: "Seven days."

Zhuqiaomon clapped his hands mockingly. "Bravo! Excellent! Let's give our contestant a big round of applause!" No one clapped, but the guardian continued on. "So now you know. The Human Slaughters were only the beginning. Slowly, through this very camp, we will exterminate all vaccine and data type Digimon. Only the virus types will remain." The guardian beamed like he had just made a magnificent speech. Then he turned his back to them and played with something on the counter. Devimon continued to dig around in his nose.

"Unfortunately," he continued, "not even the cleansing of non-virus types is enough. You" - he pointed to Hiamon, Kibamon, and Mekanorimon, "are some of the worst traitors I've ever seen in my entire life. I couldn't tell you about the food because you were always hanging around with vaccine types. You all even went so low as to befriend Angemon. If only virus types existed, the world would still not be perfect. After the Slaughter of the Vaccines and Datas, we will have a slaughtering of the traitors. No virus type will be a vaccine-lover. Then, maybe we will have a perfect world. PERFECT WITH ORDER." He shouted these last three words, as though saying them loudly would make them so.

"Fortunately, we have ways of dealing with traitors too." He turned to them, with a fierce look in his eyes. In his hand he carried a plant covered with yellow fruit. "We almost never have to resort to administering the virus berries. _Almost_ never." To their horror, Zhuqiaomon shook the plant violently. Into his palms fell yellow berries, first just a few, then many. Soon his entire black hand was covered in yellow berries. "You know, at first I thought these berries were the reasons for all the disappearances. You see, sometimes it takes only six days to poison a Digimon. Our even less. When Airdramon disappeared, I though the berrries had acted too quickly. Nothing much. Then Greymon disappeared. Again I thought it was the berries, but I was getting a little bit suspicious. Then Kabuterimon disappeared. I grew worried. Never had three Digimon in a row been poisoned prematurely. I would have to come up with an explanation that I could tell you prisoners. But I had none. The other guardians grew angry at me," he said bitterly. "So they left. That was okay. I actually think they were afraid. Afraid of the killer. And I cannot say that I had no fear either, but by the fourth day, I had had it. Two _VIRUS TYPES _had disappeared, and virus berries weren't even used in the food! I thought the Babamon were plotting against me. They had been complaining of low wages for ages. So I killed the Manager. But that still didn't solve my problems."

"That night, I saw something mysterious. Digimon, fighting. Then flames. Then everything was quiet. I knew then that it wasn't the Babamon behind this. No. It was a murderer." He peered at the Team through his narrowed eyes, then paced around the room. "So far, nine Digimon have been killed. Nine." (Hiamon hoped he was at least one off.) "And yet, you five have managed to avoid all that. You have cheated an elusive murderer out of killing you." He grinned. "How ironic that you will all die of simple food poisoning."

Hiamon felt the ropes tied around his wrists. He needed to break through. If only one of the ropes would just snap. He struggled as Zhuqiaomon held out his hand full of yellow berries. "Let's see . . . who will be the first to eat a basketful of berries?" The Team cringed. "No one?" he asked, as though the berries might go to waste. "Well then - I'll just have to _pick_ someone. How about you, stupid dragon?" He held his hand out to Hiamon. "Yes, the worst traitor of them all. Oh, how I tried to convert you to our side. But no. It was already too late. Oh well. Maybe if you've learned your lesson, you'll be able to use it in the afterlife . . ."

_Think fast,_ Hiamon thought as Zhuqiaomon neared him. _Time is running out . . ._

The guardian held out his hand, showing his victim the twisted berries. Then he wrapped his hand around them. "Say 'ah'," he told Hiamon, putting his hand in his mouth. Hiamon coughed. The rest of the Team watched with horror, unable to move, unable to do anything. Time seemed to stand still. Then . . .

_HRAAH!_

In seconds Zhuqiaomon's hand was aflame!  
"Agh, agh, hot, get it off, get it off!" the sparrow shouted madly, dropping the charred berries to the ground. Hiamon was amazed at how well his plan had worked. Not knowing what to do, he had decided to use his fire breath to set Zhuqiaomon aflame and to give him time to think. The latter was the hard part. 

A furious Zhuqiaomon quickly put out the flame, flapped his wings in rage, and let out a mighty screech that terrified the Team. When he was done, he was breathing hard, staring into Hiamon's eyes with a hate greater than hate. "That's - IT!" he thundered, sending the room into silence again. "You -" he breathed fiercely, but he did not finish his threat, for above them came a blast even great than Zhuqiaomon's screeches.

"What's that?!" Zhuqiaomon demanded as the ceiling began to collapse. The room shook, it was like an earthquake taking place solely in the cabin. The shaking and the rumbling was followed by an even louder explosion. Everyone looked up at what used to be the cabin's ceiling. Where it used to be was now a gigantic hole. Looming over them was a creature shrouded in darkness.

"It's the killer!" shouted Mikemon.

No one, not even Zhuqiaomon, had time to act. In seconds the figure zipped down to the floor and scooped up a horrified Devimon. No one had even remembered that he was there.

"No!" shouted Zhuqiaomon, flapping his wings with rage. "No! Not the Devimon!"  
But it was too late. The killer's second trip was almost over even before it began. With lightning speed, the shadow flew up into the night, clutching a lifeless Devimon in its arms, leaving the Team and Zhuqiaomon bewildered.

"Oh no you don't!" shouted the guardian menacingly, flying up out of the hole in the ceiling. Soon he was gone too, following the killer in quick pursuit.

Then it became evident what the Team had to do. _If the killer came back, _thought Hiamon, _then perhaps he didn't have time to kill Angemon!  
_"There's still time!" he shouted wildly. Gripping his D-Pendulum, he said, "Hiamon digivolve to . . . Radiatimon!"

_SNAP._ The ropes were broken through like they were just toys. The much bigger Radiatimon found his head high above the ceiling of the cabin. He retracted his claws. 

_SHWH, SHWVP. _Using them he was able to break his friends out of the ropes that bound them as well; his claws crashing through the cabin's walls in the process. Kibamon sank to the floor, relieved. Mekanorimon and the girls jumped to their feet, rejoicing in their new freedom.

"We have to go after them," Radiatimon hissed. "There's still time to rescue Angemon."  
"Then what are we waiting for? Kibamon digivolve to . . . Hypothermon!"

Quickly, Suraiimon and Mikemon climbed on Radiatimon's back and the five took off, leaving the guardian's cabin a mess that was un-clean-upable.. Together they followed the distinct red dot that was Zhuqiaomon, who of course was trying to follow the killer. Suddenly, Radiatimon came to a stop.

"What's going on?" Hypothermon shouted, passing him.

"Hang on," was the reply. "I'm going to do something that I've been waiting to do for a very long time . . ." With Suraiimon and Mikemon clinging to him tightly, the great dragon released twenty missiles from his metallic wings. "Radiation Missiles!" he shouted, and a barrage of missiles were fired at the camp right below him. Purification Camp. The death camp. The one where his father could have died in. The one where many more were planned to die in. He watched the missiles impact, watched them explode, he watched the smoke rise up into the air. He watched as the cafeteria, Zhuqiaomon's cabin, and all of the other cabins, every part of the camp, incinerate before his eyes. When he was satisfied, he looked up into the stars and took off again. Purification Camp was gone, gone forever. And now he would need to focus his attention on other matters.

He was delighted to see that Hypothermon (who was in the lead now) was advancing on Zhuqiaomon, who was still searching around for the killer. Hypothermon had night vision and could even see the darker objects well. Then the advanced snow leopard flew right past the guardian. Before Zhuqiaomon could even look up, Radiatimon, who was lagging behind, had passed him too. Gasping for breath, the guardian cried out, "Hey, you! You - come back here!" The voice grew fainter and fainter until it disappeared completely. A moment later Radiatimon heard, quite audibly, a screech of "My camp!" The dragon smirked, his eye on Hypothermon ahead of him.

For minutes the Team just flew, thinking happy thoughts. _We're going to catch the killer, _thought Hiamon. _We're going to rescue Angemon. We'll go to Midgard City and find out what happened to my dad. We'll fight Daemon's officers, then we'll kill Daemon himself. And then we'll go back home._ The bleak situation just ten minutes ago had vanished with the killer's return. Everything was looking up. And he was too, flying carelessly in the night sky, unafraid of anything. So engrossed in his thoughts was he that he almost did not notice Hypothermon turn a corner. He followed, making a sharp turn at the end of some out-of-place trees. The landscape changed suddenly. Seconds ago they had been flying over flat earth. Now a canyon stretched before them. And situated on a cliff up ahead was a strange structure unlike almost anything Takumi had seen before. It was like a castle, except it also seemed to be a face. Like two great windows were eyes, red and evil. A twisted mouth was also present. But in reality it was a castle and nothing more. Still, Radiatimon felt a certain evil around it. Sure enough, the killer, cloaked in shadow, flew right into the mouth of the castle.

"That must be where he lives," shouted Hypothermon. "Up ahead, over here. I don't think he knows that we're following him. Let's try to sneak up on him!" The snow leopard slackened speed and entered through one of the "eyes" of the castle. Radiatimon followed, landing right beside Hypothermon. He dropped Suraiimon and Mikemon to the ground lightly and stood, amazed at the sight before him.

They were in the middle of what seemed to be a temple. Near the "eyes" of the castle was a ledge on which they could stand. In the middle of the temple was a pit of scorching lava. Above the pit of lava was a long chain. And hoisted above the pit were the missing Digimon! Radiatimon gasped. It was like seeing a dead person coming back to life. There they were: Airdramon, Greymon, Kabuterimon, MetalGreymon, SkullGreymon, Garurumon, Monochromon, Kuwagamon, and Angemon. Devimon was not yet among them. All of them seemed lifeless, like they had lost the will to live. But they were not dead (though looking a bit thin).

"I can't believe it," whispered Suraiimon, gazing at the dangling figures with shock and horror.

"Nor can I," said Mikemon.

"Well? What are we waiting for? C'mon, let's rescue them!" said Hiamon, but his plan was interrupted by the sounds of footsteps. Two pairs of footsteps. In curiosity, the Team looked below them. They were astonished to find that the killer, the killer draped in black, was walking underneath them, alongside someone - someone who they could not see. Then, the shadowed figure threw up his cloak and revealed himself to five gasps. The killer wore a cape, and his body was red as blood. His arms were flanked by demonic wings. A forked tail protruded from his rear. It carried a red trident in one arm. It was Phelesmon.

"How?" thought Radiatimon aloud. "How could it be Phelesmon?"  
"Shh!" his friends all shouted back at him. Fortunately, Phelesmon did not hear him.

Phelesmon? Even Takumi's wildest theories did not include Phelesmon. He was bad, but he certainly wasn't capable of capturing ten Digimon. Well, at least that was what he had _thought._

"Where is he?" demanded Phelesmon, gazing up at the dangling Digimon. "We'll need to add him to my _collection_ . . ."

"He's right behind me," replied Vilemon, for the one walking beside him was none other than Phelesmon's devoted servant.

"Bring him up there, then," Phelesmon ordered, pointing at the chains with his staff.

"You got it, Sir!" said Vilemon, who flew up, dragging Devimon with him. With a bit of difficulty, he was able to chain him up with the others. "There!" The ugly green bat clapped his hands triumphantly, almost falling into the lava pit in the process.

Phelesmon smirked darkly. "Yes. Now my collection is complete. Oh, Zhuqiaomon won't know what hit him! It's a genius play, really. Robbing Zhuqiaomon of his Digimon and then using them against him! Well, I guess there's only one thing left to do. Vilemon? Lower them into the lava!"

The Team gasped with horror as Vilemon pushed a handle. The chains that bound the captured Digimon moved with a jangle and began to descend. Angemon and the others just dangled there, not even comprehending what was going to happen to them all . . .

"We've got to stop him!" Radiatimon said anxiously.

"I agree," replied Hypothermon. "Go!"  
It all happened very quickly. With a gigantic leap, Hypothermon charged right into an unsuspecting Vilemon.

"Huh?" the creature uttered before he was knocked into a wall. 

__

SMACK. Smashed and confused, Vilemon deleted on the spot. In seconds the rest of the Team joined the snow leopard and kept control of the handle.

Phelesmon was astounded. "Who are YOU?" he demanded fiercely. "You've killed my servant, damn it!"

"We're your worst nightmare," said Mekanorimon robotically.

Phelesmon only smiled. "Delightful. I can add five more Digimon to my collection. I've never gotten seven in one night before."

"You're not going to get _anyone_ tonight!" shouted Radiatimon. "Because we're going to kill you!"  
Phelesmon stepped forward. "You're going to kill me, eh? Humph. I'd like to see you try. I have powers beyond your wildest dreams. No one can kill me. It is simply not possible."

"We've done a lot of impossible things," Radiatimon said coolly. "All right, everyone! I'll get this bozo, you all try to rescue the Digimon!"

Perhaps Takumi should have been a bit more subtle on his intentions to attack Phelesmon. The demonic Digimon met him with power and strength. When Radiatimon tried to ram his opponent with his three horns, Phelesmon countered by swinging his staff right into the great dragon's eye. Radiatimon fell to the hard temple floor, bleeding profusely.

Meanwhile, the others were attempting to free the captive Digimon.

"Hurry!" Mikemon cried, but no one had the strength to push the handle, even though they knew that their friends' lives depended on it.

"Oh no you don't!" Phelesmon shouted, making a giant leap and striking Mikemon in the stomach. The cat Digimon fell to the ground with a light _THUUMP._

Suraiimon bit the demon Digimon on the arm, but Phelesmon twirled around like a ballerina and hit her over the head with his staff.

"Twin Beam!" shouted Mekanorimon, producing a wave of electricity which Phelesmon reflected back. _SPOUK!_ Covered in dents, Mekanorimon collapsed to the hard floor.

Even Hypothermon was no match for him. His Freeze Tranquil attack did not hit fast enough and before it was even made Phelesmon jumped on his opponent and beat him down. When it was over, Phelesmon jumped off and landed on his feet magnificently.

"Well then!" he exclaimed, gazing at the fallen Digimon around him. "I guess I can add _another_ five to my collection . . ." He picked up Mikemon by the tail. "In the lava you go, kitty kitty -"

"NO!"

In an instant Radiatimon got to his feet and dived at the unsuspecting Phelesmon. _BUSHH!_ Mikemon fell from the demon's twisted hands, and Phelesmon was catapulted into the air. He hit the ground with a hard _THUD._

A few seconds seemed to make all the different. The tables had turned: Phelesmon was on the ground, only semi-conscious, while the Team was slowly coming to. Mekanorimon pushed himself up and scratched his head. Suraiimon licked her paws like nothing had ever happened, Hypothermon growled with a start. And Mikemon opened her wild eyes and slowly began to take in her surroundings.

"Quick, we need to rescue the Digimon!" ordered Radiatimon, whose attention had not shifted from the ones dangling up above them. His plan was to rescue them, then to get them to fight. Then Phelesmon would be outnumbered 17 to 1. He would be forced to either surrender or be killed. It would be his choice.

His friends required no further prompting. With the handle they worked quicker than ever, but still they could not push it. Finally Hypothermon stepped in, he could turn it just a little. Radiatimon was about to help too, but nearby, Phelesmon stirred.

"Urgh . . . where am I?" the demon asked slowly. Radiatimon cautiously made a step forward. Even when half-conscious, Phelesmon was still a danger. Then, quite distinctly, he said, "I need . . . to find . . ." He lay his head down, too exhausted to speak. After a quick glance at the others, who were making steady progress, Radiatimon turned to Phelesmon.

"You need to find something?" Radiatimon asked, suddenly interested. Phelesmon didn't seem dangerous anymore. Instead he seemed very approachable, like an old friend.

"I need . . . to find . . ." Phelesmon repeated weakly. "I need . . . to find . . ."

"You need to find?" Radiatimon said, trying to understand. What was this strange Digimon trying to find?  
"My . . . daughter," whispered Phelesmon.

His daughter. It hit Radiatimon like a bullet. He thought back to that day in Demon Palace. His daughter? What did that have to do with anything? Why was this Digimon, this demon, this demon who had intentions to kill . . . why was he suddenly going off about his daughter? Was he insane, like the Elder at Civil City had suggested?  
"Your daughter . . . what's her name?" Radiatimon asked softly. He felt a sympathy for Phelesmon, the same kind of sympathy you may have for a criminal being led to his execution. At this time he wanted to help Phelesmon. And the only way to help him was to learn who his daughter was.

"My daughter's . . . my daughter's . . . name . . . is . . . How dare you attack me from behind!"  
"Huh?"  
_BLOOSH._

With a devastating blast, Radiatimon felt himself being thrown to the other side of the room. He landed with a loud _THUD_, hitting himself on the head. For minutes he lay there, trying to figure out what had happened. He had been talking to Phelesmon one second; the next, they were fighting. The great dragon rubbed his head and snarled at the demon Digimon, who was throwing Mikemon around the room by her tail. When he let go, the poor cat sailed away, hit a wall, and slumped down to the floor. The rescuers, who had finally been making progress, had all been cleared away. The last defenses had been driven away. Phelesmon turned the crank in the opposite direction, lowering the captured Digimon down into the pit of lava.

"No!" Radiatimon shouted, lunging at Phelesmon.

"Go away!" the crazed Digimon shouted back, shooting a fireball at the oncoming dragon. Radiatimon felt the blast hit him the stomach, and as he grew weaker his lunge lost momentum and he landed on the ground; his attack had died like a fallen bird. Phelesmon had the upper hand again, and worst of all, there were no Digimon left to challenge him. All had fallen to his evil powers. All Radiatimon and the others could do was watch, watch as their friends (and some of their enemies) descended into the fiery pit. With great force, Phelesmon made the final turn of the crank that would send Angemon and the others to their deaths. Just before the angel Digimon's feet touched the lava, Radiatimon could have sworn he muttered, "Protect my army." But he could have been imagining it. Soon, the captive Digimon were knee-high in lava. One by one, they disintegrated into little bits of data, Angemon being the last. As Angemon exploded into a million pieces, a tear rolled down the dragon's cheek. He had truly been a good friend . . .

"No!" Radiatimon heard a wounded Hypothermon shout. "No - you idiot!"  
Although he could do nothing, Radiatimon watched the data particles with sadness. He had seen Digimon die few times, but he knew what happened when they did. He was expecting the data to ascend up out of the temple, but to his astonishment the bits sank back into the lava.

"What the - ?" Suraiimon never finished her sentence, for in seconds there was a window-shattering blast.

_BLASHABASH!_

Out of the lava came a creature unlike anything Takumi had ever seen. It terrified him, it terrified everyone, except maybe Phelesmon, who was dancing about in joy. The monster was an odd combination of the body parts of many Digimon. It had Garurumon's legs. It had Greymon's torso and Kabuterimon's head. On the back grew MetalGreymon's wild blood-red hair. It had the tail of Monochromon and the arms of Kuwagamon and Devimon. Its wings were comprised of Airdramon's and (sadly) Angemon's. The nightmarish creature let out a loud roar.

"Finally!" shouted Phelesmon, clapping his hands together. "Finally! You have come, Kimeramon!"  
Radiatimon looked up with wide eyes at the wild creature above him.

"What the heck is that?" asked Hypothermon, trying to walk on his broken legs. The Team could hardly guess.

Phelesmon was elated. With an excited jump he landed on the synthetic Digimon's back. "It doesn't matter what he is," he said with a swish of a cloak. "It matters what he _does._ And he's going to kill you all!"  
The beast let out a tremendous roar, flapping its wings wildly and breathing hot steam.

"Kimeramon - kill them all!" Phelesmon shouted.

Radiatimon was prepared for an all-out assault, but that did not care. Kimeramon swayed back and forth, trying to shake his creator off.

"No, you fool!" said Phelesmon. "You're supposed to kill _them_!" And with a scream he fell to the floor, landing on his back with a loud _THUD _and a separation of dust.

Free from anyone's control, Kimeramon roared, raising his menacing beetle head to the ceiling. From out of Radiatimon was a deep desire to quiet this annoying creature, to make him shut up. With this desire he found the strength to stand and the power to walk. The desire led him to his friends, and together they formed a plan.

"It's too late to save Angemon, but we can still save ourselves," said Radiatimon.

"We can beat this guy, _and_ Phelesmon," Hypothermon said with determination.

"It'll be tough," said Suraiimon. Withdrawing her D-Pendulum, she read: "Kimeramon, data type, ultimate level. His special attack is Heat Viper." She put it away. "He's an ultimate level Digimon! Did you hear that?"  
"But we outnumber him," said Mekanorimon. "And we've got Hypothermon."  
"And me," said Radiatimon.

"OK, let's get this over with," said Suraiimon. They had not time to waste. While they had been planning, Kimeramon had been readying his first attack.

"Heat Viper!" Kimeramon shouted. He shot two hot green balls of fire, one at the Genesis Team, one at the recovering Phelesmon.

_GABALABARASPOOOSH!  
_ From there, everything went wild. The Team jumped away from the fire missile and dodged it (though they still felt a fiery pain), but the temple was not spared. The blast, which hit the floor, somehow destroyed the roof and some of the walls. The temple collapsed like a sand castle on top of them all.

"Quick!" shouted Radiatimon. He got up from underneath some rubble and clung on to a remaining wall. Hypothermon and the others followed suit.

Up above them, Kibamon roared beastly, his many arms and legs making him look like a gigantic spider. _RARGH. _Radiatimon hadn't a moment to think before he found himself battling arm-to-arm against Kimeramon.

The sneaky devil had lunged down and nearly tackled him. Fortunately Radiatimon had kept his guard up. Unfortunately, it didn't do much good. With a great _POW,_ the dragon was thrown into a wall like a bullet, collapsing on top of it. Kimeramon roared in satisfaction.

"Freeze Tranquil!" Hypothermon shouted, unleashing an array of ice which covered his opponent from head to foot. Kimeramon literally froze on the spot as the Team watched. Would it work? No. Just when it seemed like it was the end for the monstrous creation, the creature broke through and let out a rage-filled roar of hate. Then it threw Hypothermon a Heat Viper which sent the ultimate Digimon flying to the ground.

Seeing Hypothermon's defeat, the great dragon Digimon got out from his hole in the wall. "Radiation Missile!" Radiatimon's missile hit right on target, in Kimeramon's eye, but Kimeramon didn't even flinch. The attack only seemed to make him angrier. Like a fly he swatted Radiatimon to the ground.

"Cat Claw!"  
"Twin Beam!"  
"Season Nail!"

Even the combined attacks of three champion Digimon couldn't send Kimeramon down. Standing invincibly, he added insult to injury with each attack he deflected. One by one the Genesis Team fell to the floor.

"We can't lose!" shouted Radiatimon from the floor. "We've come this far, and Angemon's depending on us to help out his army in Midgard City. We're not going to the grave!"  
With his courageous words, the Team was revitalized, but the seemingly undefeatable Kimeramon's attacks dampened their spirits. With Phelesmon's laughter and Kimeramon's wild roars in the background, they tried attack after attack, but it soon became apparent that the ultimates, much less the champions, didn't have much of a chance against their opponent. The only damage they made was to the remains of the temple.

Hiding in a corner, Phelesmon shouted, "It's not use! There's no killing Kimeramon! He's the perfect Digimon!" Although what use Phelesmon had for Kimeramon was unclear (especially now since he seemed uncontrollable), one could not argue with him. There seemed to be no beating him. 

That is, until Radiatimon came up with an idea.

"He has all these different body parts from all these different Digimon," he said to his friends. "We have to focus on one things at a time. Then he'll be easy to kill!"  
Kimeramon didn't seem to like discussion very much. "Heat Viper!"

The Genesis Team disassembled just in time. With the explosion of the attack below them, the Digimon soared into the air, pointing towards the wings that belonged to Angemon.

"Those wings aren't yours!" shouted Mekanorimon. "Twin Beam!"  
"Cat Claw!"

"Season Nail!"  
"Freeze Tranquil!"  
"Radiation Missile!"  
_AARGH!_ Kimeramon cringed as the five pierced his white wings. With black blood falling from them, the wings were torn off and disintegrated.

_AAGH! AAGH! AAGH! AAGH! AAGH! AAGH!_ As each body part came off, Kimeramon grew weaker, unable to retaliate. The wings of Airdramon, the arms of Devimon, SkullGreymon and Kuwagamon, the tail of Monochromon . . . with each part they destroyed, they thought of the Digimon who had suffered for them. When Monochromon's tail disintegrated, all that was left were the legs, head, and upper body. Without any arms, the once domineering Kimeramon looked quite strange. In one last attack, the creature unleashed a wave of Heat Vipers.

"Freeze Tranquil!"

Then the Heat Vipers were gone, and the only things left were Radiatimon and Hypothermon, charging at their enemy without any hesitation. Kimeramon stepped back in fear.

"Freeze Tranquil!"  
Hypothermon used this attack to freeze Kimeramon in his tracks. He slackened speed, allowing Radiatimon to fly up over him.

"Radiation Missile!" the great dragon Digimon shouted, firing a missile from his back. _FWIJANIP!_ In a mess of dust, Kimeramon himself disintegrated too.

The Team gave a wave of cheers before morphing back to their human forms.

"That wasn't so hard after all," said a happy Shun. "My only regret is destroying this beautiful temple."  
"Looked pretty ugly to me," said Ryota, kicking a pile of rubble. "But we did a pretty good job, didn't we?"  
"You're a born leader, Takumi," said Reina with an affectionate smile. The compliment made him blush.

"Well, not as good as Naoki," he mumbled incoherently.

"Angemon," said Yuka, and everyone grew quiet. "This is his grave." A tear rolled down her cheek and onto the pitiful pile of rubble. Everyone bowed their heads in mourning.

"He knew he was going to die," said Takumi. "He knew it. Somehow he knew he wasn't going to live." He paused. "He asked us to help his army in Midgard City. Asked us to protect it, to make sure it never will perish."

"That's where we're going," Reina said. "Midgard City."  
Takumi looked up and grinned. "Midgard City. At last!"  
Yuka looked up too, but not to talk about Midgard City. "Hey," she said, looking around, "where's Phelesmon?"

Takumi had forgot all about him! He looked up. Standing erect on a remaining wall was the demon Digimon, his thin hands inside of his pockets. He peered down at them with a sour expression on his face. 

"Children," he said. "Humans. Do not think I do not know what you are." He rested his hands on his staff. "Humans. You are ignorant creatures. We could have been allies . . . allies against the evil in this world. Evils like the guardians. But no. You have taken the wrong path, children. Mark my works: You will be sorry for it. Because I am a powerful Digimon. A very powerful Digimon, more powerful than you think. And I will get my revenge, children. I will get my revenge." And with a swish of a cape, he was gone, leaving the Genesis Team mystified.

"We'll never be allies with him," said Ryota. "Never!" He threw a rock to add force to his last word.

"He's a strange Digimon," said Takumi. "He says he hates the guardians. And get this: When I was fighting him, he went really weird! He started asking for his daughter. The next minute he was fighting me."  
"Weird!" was all Reina could say.

"Maybe he really is crazy," Shun thought aloud.

"HELLO!" Ryota shouted. "Let's try to get to Midgard City before we're old? We can talk later!"  
"Agreed," said Takumi, transforming into Hiamon. "Hey, we'll be the first Digimon ever to escape from Purification Camp!" 

After four more transformations, the Genesis Team traveled eat towards Midgard City. And for all they knew, they were the first Digimon to escape from Purification Camp - the Death Camp - alive.

_Next time on Digimon Genesis!_

The Genesis Team arrive in Midgard City, only to find it's not as human-friendly as they thought it would be! And their hosts, including two sorcerer Digimon and an Elder that won't stop crying aren't much of a help. On every corner, there seems to be a Digital Policeman watching. Worst of all, Reina is sick in bed and there is not much they can do for her. There'll be more to handle than Angemon's army in:

THE ARMY OF ANGELS

"Another ultimate Digimon?" MarineDevimon laughed maliciously. "Good. I'm bored. It's time for your end, foxy."

As always, please read and review, and be sure to tell me what you thought of the various plots running through this chapter . . . and I apologize for it being so long. Also, I've left a lot of clues in the past few chapters so you may form your own theories about the climax of this arc. Also . . .

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DIGIMON: NEO GENESIS

Starting back from Digimon Genesis: Chapter 1, the chapters are going to get bigger, better, and more consistent than ever before. With less mistakes, new dialogue, and new scenes, you won't want to miss this heavy-duty revision of Digimon Genesis. (Note: No new plotlines or major characters will be introduced in Neo Genesis. So, you don't have to read Neo Genesis. But if you want to refresh your memory, or if you just plain want to reread it, this should be perfect). The revised adventure begins soon.

Again, please read and review . . . I love reviews. So just click on that little review button down at the bottom of the page and tell me your thoughts._  
  
_


	31. The Army of Angels

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First of all I'd like to say that I'm terribly apologetic about the very late update. But now that it's summer, I can write more and the updates should come much faster. I'm back on a regular schedule now!

Previously on Digimon Genesis!

After disappearance after disappearance at Purification Camp, the Genesis Team were certain that Angemon was the next victim. They tried to rescue Angemon and make a daring escape for freedom, but were found out by Zhuqiaomon, who turned out not to be the murderer after all. After he told them of his real crime - poisoning the food - the real murderer, Phelesmon, came and kidnapped Angemon and led him to a strange temple, where he was sacrificed with all the other Digimon to form Kimeramon! Unfortunately, Kimeramon was out of Phelesmon's control and attacked them all, but with the help of two ultimate Digimon the Team was able to defeat the menace and went on there way to Midgard City, with the mystery of Phelesmon still unsolved . . .

****

DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER 31

THE ARMY OF ANGELS

The Genesis Team reached Midgard City by dawn. In the darkness it was a shining light, a place to stop and stay in the middle of many forests, fields, and mountains. It was a large city, bigger than Civil, and much more inviting. With a soft _THUD, _Hiamon landed just outside the city gates, his friends following him. Stretched before them was the city itself, a flat place with small buildings and many shops. Takumi admired its beautiful walkways. It reminded him of home, almost, but in Yokohama they did not build their cities like this. The Japanese had founded cities on their islands but did not build them with care. To the streets of Midgard, the skyscrapers of Yokohama seemed careless, like they had just been placed where there was land available. In Midgard, building a city was an art, a job to be handled carefully.

"This place is gorgeous," said Reina, once she had transformed back into a human.

"True, but where's the townspeople?" Ryota asked, noting the unoccupied streets and walkways.

The Team looked around, but in every direction they looked they could not find anyone. A paper blew with the wind, escalating the appearance of a ghost town.

"This isn't the warm welcome I thought we would receive," Takumi said disappointedly, putting his hands in his pockets.

"At least the town looks nice," commented Shun, but no one cared anymore.

The paper that was blowing in the wind came to a stop in front of Reina. She put her foot on top of it and picked it up. The paper proved quite interesting. The group gathered around and read:

CELEBRATION  
AT 7:00  
NEXT THURSDAY

THE WELCOMING CEREMONY OF THE NEW ELDER:  
VIKEMON!

Reina grabbed the paper and surveyed it with interest. "How old is this paper?" he asked curiously.

"It doesn't look too old," said Ryota.

"If that's true, then it means this city has a new Elder," said Shun.

A new Elder! "No!" Takumi shouted. "That means that he won't know _anything _about my father! If only we had gotten here a week earlier . . ."

"Takumi, this doesn't mean anything," said Reina, looking over the paper. "So there's a new Elder. Look, Digimon live much longer than humans, hundreds of years. I'm sure there's at least _one _Digimon here who knew a human named Kairu Hito. Maybe even the current Elder knew him."  
Takumi's face brightened up at this thought. "Hey, you're right!" He started to dance around in the streets. "The new Elder probably knows all about him! He probably - _UGH!"_

"Be _QUIET_!" The five members of the Genesis Team were thrown to the hard road by a large Digimon. Takumi scratched his scarred chin, looking up in pain. On top of them all was a Digimon with angelic wings, a shiny gray helmet, and long orange hair. In its hands was a golden staff. Takumi's first thought was "Angemon!"

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" squeaked Shun weakly at the very bottom of the pile of humans.

"Who _are_ you?" asked Ryota, looking up into an angry face.

"You idiots!" breathed the angelic Digimon. Only then did Takumi see that it was definitely not Angemon - besides the obvious face that Angemon was dead. Though similar in appearance, this Digimon had only two wings compared to Angemon's six. The Digimon wore pink robes instead of red, and the staff he carried had a crescent moon on it.

"Who are you?" Takumi asked after the mysterious Digimon got up off of them.

"SHH!" The Digimon held a finger to his lips. "Be quiet, you fools! What do you think you're doing, talking so loudly in the middle of the _road!?_ Who do you think you are, you, you - humans!" The last word was said with a tone of disbelief. Takumi got up and dusted off his shorts. His friends followed.

"Well, you didn't have to _pounce_ on us!" shouted Ryota.

"_SHH!_ You're all so STUPID! You're HUMANS! Out in the middle of the ROAD! I must be dreaming! How . . . how?" He walked around, shaking his head. "Could you possibly be . . . could you possibly be _the saviors_?"

"Well, yes. At least we think so." Takumi pointed at the Digimon. "Do you know where we could find the Elder of this city? You know, Vikemon?"

The angel Digimon sighed. "I suppose. Yes, of course. I could take you there. In fact, I used to be a guard for the Elder."  
"_Used _to be?" said Reina.

"It's a long story. First, tell me why you're here - tell me _how_ you're here!"  
"It's a long story," sighed Shun.

"All right then. How about we share both of those long stories at the Elder's mansion, out of the middle of the ROAD? But don't you have disguises? If the Digital Police find you right here in the middle of the road, what will they say?"

"The Digital Police? They're in Midgard City?"  
"It's _another _long story," sighed the Digimon. "But what about disguises? Don't tell me you humans went all the way here without disguises!"

"Oh, I'm sure we can work that out." Shun grinned and withdrew his D-Monster. "Ready, everyone?"

"Transform . . . MEKANORIMON!"  
"Transform . . . SURAIIMON!"  
"Transform . . . HIAMON!"  
"Transform . . . MIKEMON!"  
"Transform . . . KIBAMON!"

The five of them morphed right in front of a transfixed angel Digimon. He drew back in astonishment as each of their Digimon forms were revealed.

"This disguise enough?" asked Mekanorimon.

The angel Digimon jumped up and down in delight. "The prophecy! It said the saviors would be part-Digimon, part-human! You're the saviors! You're the saviors! Oh, wouldn't the Elder just _die_ to see this!"  
Hiamon grinned. "So you'll take us to the Elder?"  
"Oh yes! Oh yes! Most certainly! By the way, saviors, my name's Piddomon!"  
And so with an exuberant Piddomon leading the way, Takumi, Ryota, Shun, Yuka, and Reina walked down to the Elder's mansion down the street. Fortunately, no Digital Police were encountered along the way.

The trip to the Elder's mansion did not take long. The home, with a wooden tablet on which was inscribed, in gold letters, "THE ELDEST OF MIDGARD CITY," with no name after the comma, was only a few blocks away. The elegant mansion was covered in shade from huge oak trees. The grass was neatly trimmed, and a path stretched from the road to the mansion. With Piddomon in front, the Team was led down the path and up four small steps. Piddomon turned the doorknob.

"Are we allowed to just _walk in_?" asked Ryota incredulously.

"Of course we can! After all, I'm the Elder's guard. Well, at least I _was_ the Elder's guard . . ." He stepped inside and closed the door when everyone had hopped in.

"_Used _to be the guard?" asked Takumi, not knowing how to address the circumstance. "What do you mean by that? Were you - _fired_?"  
"Well, at least by the Digital Police," explained Piddomon, showing them up the carpeted stairs. "They said that so much protection was unnecessary for a . . . figurehead."  
"A figurehead?" said Shun, upon reaching the landing. "You mean the Elder no longer has power here anymore?"  
"Heavens, no!" exclaimed Piddomon. "Poor Vikemon . . . So sad that he had to give up all his power only three months after becoming Elder." They reached a large wooden door. The angelic Digimon tapped on it lightly. "Mr. Elder? Honorable Elder! You have some guests."  
When he received no reply, he knocked on it again. "Elder?"  
From the room came a loud, sniveling voice: "COME IN!" Takumi was largely reminded of a toddler.

Takumi looked around the room. It had windows on each side, and other than the huge pillow on which the Elder sat, the room was vacant. It was completely identical to SaberLeomon's room in Midgard City, except for a portrait on the wall and the Elder himself. The largest thing in the room by far was the Elder himself, a massive creature with two large tusks, two horns, a Viking axe, and long robes. As menacing as this creature was, he was doing what every menacing creature shouldn't do. He was crying, and loudly at that. No voice could be heard over his bawling. Tears fell from his eyes like a waterfall. Already a small pool was beginning to form under his kingly cushion.

Piddomon kneeled to the ground and said something to the effect of, "Oh honorable Elder, we kneel in your presence . . ." but he could hardly be heard over Vikemon's pitiful moans. Seeing that the Elder was not paying any attention to him, Piddomon shouted: "You have guests, high Elder!" but this only made it worse. The old but babyish Elder beat his humongous fists on the floor and wailed: "GO AWAY!" between sobs. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Oh dear," said Piddomon, putting a hand to his heart as the Team tried hard not to stare at the shrieking, hysterical Elder. "Well, this won't do at all. Come along now, children - even the fact that you're the saviors wouldn't cheer him up! Let's go outside in the hallway - there, we can talk."  
The Team obeyed his orders and one by one filed out of the Elder's room. Their departure didn't make the Elder much happier. With a loud, "GO AWAY!" he hurled a vase at the door as they made their way out.

"What was _that_ all about?" asked Ryota, standing on the red carpet of the hallway, covering his ears as the vase shattered.

Piddomon sighed. "The Elder loved being the ruler of this city. He just couldn't bare to see all that power dry up. Oh, we told him. We told him that the Digital Police were coming to put Midgard under Daemon's control, but he just shook his head and didn't reply. Just a week ago he had to face reality - that he's only a mere figurehead, and it doesn't matter what he says anymore, the Digital Police control this city now." He said this all in a very disgusted voice.

"So, what happened?" Yuka asked.

"Yeah, did the Digital Police just march in here?" Ryota asked.

Piddomon sighed. "There were only two cities not under Daemon's control - Midgard and Civil City. These were also the only cities that were friendly to humans, as well as the last to have Elders that weren't mere figureheads. Although we loved our government, there was one problem with it - the Elders were always too old, too old to make the big decisions. Our ancestors created this system. The elder, the wiser, they said. But too old to make decisions. Our last Elder was getting old, very old. She was so sold she was almost incapable of speech. That's when Daemon's goons tried to gang up on our city. We all knew that Daemon's forces would try to get up then. So we created an army of Digimon to oppose any takeover of our city. But MarineDevimon, the chief of the Digital Police, found out about the army and arrested our leader, Angemon. The army fell apart, and without Angemon's army the city became vulnerable. The Digital Police decided to take over right after our Elder died. In the confusion, it was easy for the Digital Police to take over our city."  
"_Angemon_?" Shun gasped. "Did you just say 'Angemon'? We . . . We were friends with Angemon!"  
"What?" gasped Piddomon, just as surprised as they were. "Well? Where is he? Is he alive?"  
There was silence. Only Takumi was able to put forth the sad news. "He . . . Died," he said slowly. "At Purification Camp."  
"Purification Camp?" Piddomon frowned. Pacing around the hallway, he said, "We expected no less. Of course, getting final confirmation of his death is . . . Quite sad." He turned away, not to let them see the tears form in his eyes. "You know, Angemon was my half-brother . . . My younger half-brother. But he was far greater than me, greater than I will ever be . . ."  
The Team waited until the angel Digimon had courage enough to face them again. So Piddomon was Angemon's half brother . . . That explained the resemblance a lot. Takumi came back to reality with an idea. "Piddomon . . . Since you were older than Angemon . . . Did you ever meet any humans?"  
The saddened angel shook his head. "Any humans besides you, you mean? No. At least, if I did, I have no memory of it."  
"Oh," said Takumi, disappointed.

"I'm sorry I can't be of any more assistance. But you should know, that before the First Slaughters, humans were a small minority. After the Slaughter they were even more so. The Second Slaughter killed every human in this world, as far as we know. I would be extremely surprised if you weren't the only humans left. But how in the world did you survive both Slaughters? Did you pretend to be only Digimon?"  
"Umm . . . No," said Shun. "That brings us to _our_ story . . ."  
And what a long story it was. Piddomon's excited questions and shouts of surprise did not help to speed it up. By the end of it though, he was thoroughly convinced that he was speaking to the saviors.

"Oh, what a relief that I rescued you from the street! Thank goodness! Just think of it! The saviors! Wow!" He beamed, reflecting on his remarkable contribution to their lives. "So, you've been to Civil City? How are they doing there?"  
"Good," replied Takumi. "The Elder's doing just fine, and all the Digimon there are really nice."  
"It used to be that way here, too," said Piddomon sadly, looking down at his shoes as if he were recalling a bad memory. "The Digimon here are still nice, but they are tense. They've been living independent from Daemon for all these years, and they're not ready for this kind of change."  
"How did they take over the city?" piped up Yuka, finally ending her silence for the day.

"Very gradually, and then very quickly," replied the angel Digimon vaguely. "The first thing they do is put up security cameras."  
Takumi felt a prick on his neck, remembering the security cameras in Civil City. "How can a city be independent from Daemon if he's able to put security cameras up?"

"None of us are really independent from Daemon," breathed Piddomon. "But our city and Civil City were ruled by Elders, unlike the other cities, which are ruled by a governor."

Takumi had not thought about the word 'governor' much, but strangely it seemed now like an evil, cold word, synonymous with words like 'tyrant' and 'dictator'. In that way it contrasted with the word 'Elder'. When he thought of that word it conjured images of a kindly grandfather-like figure. How could anyone feel safe being ruled by a 'governor'?

"Governors are appointed by Daemon, so every city with a governor is in Daemon's control," Piddomon continued. "So he can greatly control the politics of a city. A city ruled by an Elder is much harder to control, if controllable by Daemon at all. So a city with a governor is much more desirable - if you are Daemon, at least."

"The next step to controlling a city is to send guards from the Digital Police to surround the city. There are guards stationed outside as we speak. It's a wonder you got in the city without meeting some guards. The guards monitor who goes through the city gates. Any suspicious persons seen by the guards or by the security cameras are detained or reported to Digimon called Leeches."  
"'Leeches'?" Reina asked.

"Leeches. These Digimon are trained to be spies. If they think you're a threat, they follow you for days, sometimes weeks, or even months. If you do anything funny while they're on your trail, you might as well voluntarily lock yourself in prison. I'd watch out, if I were you. A Leech could be right behind you."

Naturally, all five members of the Team whipped around, looking down the hallway. Nothing was seen.

Piddomon chuckled. "Not _here_. But I'd keep your eyes peeled . . ."

Takumi made another cautious look behind him. He wished he hadn't, for behind him was a creature that made him shriek in sheer astonishment. Peeking over his shoulder was an old, blonde-haired Digimon wearing all black. In her hand was a fairly large broomstick. Takumi nearly dived to Angemon's heels.

"A Leech!" he cried.

The others turned around too and when seeing the monster had similar reactions to Takumi. Ryota nearly fainted, Yuka put a hand to her chest, Reina's eyes widened so much they looked like they would roll right out of her sockets. Shun screamed unashamedly.

Piddomon was the only one who didn't look frightened, though he did look angry. "Relax, saviors!" he whispered, then he put his hand to his mouth, as if he had said a bad word. "It is only Witchmon!" He turned to face the intruder. "Witchmon! You've been spying again, you, you -" he said, poking her with his staff. He could not finish the insult.

"Terribly sorry," replied Witchmon casually. "It is in a magic Digimon's nature to spy. I am forced to follow my own nature."

Piddomon scowled. "Your nature!? It's too bad that there's nothing _good_ about your nature!" He held up his staff in a threatening position. "If you spy on us again, I swear I'll kill you!"  
Witchmon allowed herself a chuckle. "You, kill me? Ha! I have powers that you will never have, Piddomon! And don't you forget that!" She hit Piddomon several times on the head with her broomstick for effect. Growling, Piddomon rubbed his gray helmet. Witchmon turned to Shun, who was cowering down on the floor.

"You, boy, get up!" she commanded. Shun trembled, but stood up nonetheless. "Everyone, get up! You have little reason to fear me. I am a good Digimon, and a supporter of the Elder, an opponent of Daemon and all evil. I am on your side. Why do you shrink away from me?"  
With a little hesitation Takumi got to his feet. Though suspicious, he felt a bit foolish for being afraid. He found comfort in the fact that everyone else had been afraid too.

"Tsk, tsk!" said Witchmon. "These humans can't stay here. Certainly not in the Elder's mansion, the most suspicious place in the whole city! The Digital Police will search this place up and down!"  
"Well, they're certainly not staying at your house, if that's what you're hinting at!" snapped Piddomon. "The saviors will not be staying at the home of a _magic_ Digimon!"

Witchmon grinned. "How ironic. Was it not the magic Digimon who predicted the coming of the saviors? We are discriminated, even though you Digimon who hate Daemon claim that you hate discrimination. We dislike Daemon too, and are friends to the saviors just as you are."

Takumi was taken aback. He had never met anyone who was so confident that they were the saviors. He could not hold his tongue any longer.

"Just what makes you so sure that we're the saviors?" asked Takumi. The witch Digimon started into his eyes, but did not answer the question.

"They will NOT be taking residence with you!" thundered Piddomon. "Will not, will not, will NOT!"

"You're not listening to me, Piddomon," replied Witchmon calmly, staring up into his gray helmet. "You want to protect the saviors. But where do you plan to house them? Certainly not in the Elder's mansion, the most suspicious place in Midgard City! The census takers will search this place up and down. They'll look in every nook and cranny. And when they find five humans, they will kill them." She turned to the Genesis Team, he fiery eyes giving her shadowed face an intense, scary look. "I assure you, Piddomon - the saviors will be much safer with me, a magic Digimon, one who will be able to hide them with ease. After all, we want the saviors protected more than anybody."

Piddomon looked quizzical. "You do? Well, that's too bad. The truth is, your kind is the last I would trust with the saviors!"  
As Takumi watched their fight, he looked distant, like he was in a different room than they were. It reminded him of when he was small, when his mother would talk to neighbors about him, thinking that he wouldn't understand what they were talking about. And though he was older now and had a tiny clue of what they were talking about, there was something deeper in all those words, there was wariness and suspicion and arguing, but most of all prejudice. Apparently there was more to Digimon than just being vaccine, data, and virus. There was another kind, the magic Digimon, and Witchmon was one of them. But who were they, exactly? Why did Piddomon dislike them? Did _all _Digimon dislike them? Were they actually good Digimon that could be trusted?

Witchmon's retort was just what she had been waiting for. "Let's think about this a minute," she said. "If these children really are the saviors, and if the prophecy is true, then that means the children are _destined_ to survive to destroy the darkness and bring peace to this world. Which means that I could use my deadliest spell on them and they would still survive. If that's the case, then what does it matter what I do with them?"  
Piddomon opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He shook his head in fury. "Drat you, witch! You're playing games with my mind! You're trying to confuse me! I know your devious ways! Get away from us, you villain!"

Witchmon did not move. "What I am going to do is for the sake of the Digital World. You can trust me . . . I too want peace for this world. And the only way, as the prophecy states, is through these children. While they are under my roof, no harm shall come to them. You will see!"  
Piddomon drew back his staff. "We will see, you are right about that! Oh, this goes against all the instinct I have, but I don't have any choice, do I?" He shook his head.

"No," said Witchmon. "Unless you think you do."  
"Aargh, drat you, Witchmon!" Piddomon shouted again. "Go ahead and take them! But I promise you, if you lay a finger on them, the entire digital community will hear about this!" He pointed a long finger in front of her face.

"What will you do, burn me at the stake? But don't you worry! I won't harm them. I intend to make sure they survive. But I also can't promise that I won't lay a finger on them." She made a sudden lurch at Takumi. At first he thought that she was trying to attack him, but his senses came back five seconds later.

"Everyone interlock hands!" Witchmon cried, her voice echoing along the halls. Takumi grasped Witchmon's scarred hands and Reina's smooth, soft ones. "That's right!" the former shouted. "You too, boy! If you don't hold his hand, I'll throw you out in the streets for the Police to find!" Ryota, needing no further prompting, sheepishly took Shun's hand.

Then, after saying good-bye to Piddomon, who was shaking his head sadly, as though this was the last time he would ever see them, Witchmon told them what to do.

"I'm going to take you to a place where the Digital Police wouldn't ever _dream_ of looking," she said. "On the count of three, I want you to jump. One . . . Two . . . Cookie! Oh, you jumped!" Shun turned red after falling on his bottom, nearly dragging everyone else with him.

"All right then . . . One . . . Two . . . Three!"

Takumi landed on his knees on a soft floor. He rubbed his head, and was about to ask Witchmon something when he realized he was no longer in the hallway of the Elder's mansion, but in a very new and different place.

The room was small and poorly lit. His knees burning on the carpet, he saw at the side of him a small couch. On either side were big, comfortable-looking swivel chairs. On an end table was a single candle, and it was the only light in the room. There was a front door heading out to who knows where, and other doors, one that opened up to a hallway, one that led to a dark bedroom and the other to a kitchen that smelled of cinnamon. The most striking thing in the room, though, was a portrait of a cloaked Digimon with a pair of red demonic eyes, two large horns, and a sinister staff. The Digimon was looking down at his feet which were concealed beneath a long, dark cape, but for some reason it seemed to be looking right at Takumi - a truly unnerving feeling. Takumi got up to get a better look at it, but someone hit him over the head with a broomstick.

"Ow!" he stammered, rubbing his head and looking up to find Witchmon dancing around.

"It worked! It worked!" she screeched in delight. "Now how's _that_ for magic?"

Takumi jumped back into reality as the others around him got to their knees.

"Where are we?" Ryota asked. "This is creepy."

Takumi had to give him that: the room, no matter how interesting, was downright creepy, especially the portrait on the wall.

"Silly boy! You're in my house . . . Well, sort of."  
"How did you get us here?" Reina asked weakly, getting to her knees. "Did you use magic to transport us here?"

"Ah, it's good to be home!" said Witchmon, stretching. "Now, you simply must have dinner. I'll explain everything in a minute."

Takumi's stomach growled. It sounded like Witchmon had a lot to tell them, but his mind was on one thing: food. He hoped the food was good - not to mention safe to eat.

Witchmon led them to a tiny little kitchen, which unlike the family room was well-lit. The first thing Takumi noticed about this room were the food dishes . . . Being prepared by _severed hands._

"Uh . . . Where did you get those?" asked Reina uncertainly.

"Don't get the wrong idea!" laughed Witchmon. "Those aren't from any Digimon . . . Or human, for that matter," she added.

"What do they do?" asked Yuka, with a nervous glance at the busy hands.

"What do they _do_? They help me cook!" Even though it didn't like Witchmon was cooking at all.

"Uh . . . Do you actually cook?" Takumi asked just as nervously, not wanting to offend Witchmon.

"No! But I do one thing, and it's the hardest one of all! Supervising! Those hands can be quite troublesome! Aha! No, no, no! You don't add butter to the biscuit! No! You screw everything up!" She slapped one of the hands (which looked quite odd in reality) and cast a new spell with her wand, redirecting the hands.

"There!" she declared. "It's hard work!" She wiped her hands with a blood-red rag. "Today was Wizardmon's day to supervise! But it seems he got caught up in other affairs!" She grumbled.

Takumi exchanged glances with Ryota. "Who's Wizardmon?" they asked simultaneously.

"Wizardmon's my husband," she said informatively, motioning for them all to take a seat at a table with a red tablecloth.

"Digimon have husbands and wives?" Shun asked, taken aback.

Takumi looked up at the ceiling. Some things he had never thought of actually applied to Digimon, like cooking and having spouses.

"Of course we have spouses!" Witchmon exclaimed, flabbergasted. As she went back to instruct the hands to finish up the food and the others whispered amongst themselves about Witchmon, Takumi thought about Digimon marriage. Why hadn't he heard about it before?  
"What about the Elder - you know, the Elder of Civil City? Didn't he have a wife?"  
Witchmon collected seven plates and set them down on the counter. "He sure did. Poor Digimon died before her husband became Elder. Smallpox."

Reina looked up. "Smallpox? But that's a human illness!"

"Not to mention completely eradicated in our world," added Ryota.

"Well, it's still very abundant in our world, as are all diseases," said Witchmon. "Gives some Digimon another reason to hate humans. Yep, before humans came along you only died from starvation or another Digimon eating you. There were a few minor diseases, but nothing huge. Before humans came along, Digimon lived thousands of years. Now the life expectancy is only around 400 years."

_Four hundred years, _Takumi thought, _only!?_ That seemed like a pretty long time to him. It also explained why Digimon lived longer than humans. They just simply had stronger bodies.

When dinner was ready, Witchmon called them up to fill their plates with foreign beans, biscuits, and a weird kind of rice. As Takumi was dumping a spoonful of gray glop on his rice, there came the sound of something being opened. Just as he looked up, he saw an impressive-looking figure standing in the family room. "Naoki!" Takumi shouted, pointing up at him, for the creature so resembled his late friends' Digimon form. When he saw that it was not really Naoki, he stepped back, embarrassed, as he had done when he saw Piddomon. The figure looked just like Sorcerimon, except for the color. While Sorcerimon had been a pale-blue color, this Digimon wore a purple wizard's hat and cape, and his staff had an egg-shaped emblem on it.

"Wizardmon!" shouted the wife. "You're finally home! But where were you when it was your turn to supervise?"  
"My apologies," said Wizardmon, not bothering to take off his hat as he entered the kitchen. "Trouble at the Gothic Quarter. There were rumors that the Digital Police were going to search the place. Caused quite a stir -" It was then that he caught sight of his guests. "Ah! Humans!" he cried, and threw his arms around a very surprised Yuka and Reina. He let her drop to the floor, then shook the hands of Takumi, Ryota, and Shun. "So you've finally arrived!" He hobbled to the counter and grabbed himself a biscuit.

"How were things at the Gothic Quarter?" asked Witchmon, filling her plate with beans.

"Not bad. A few Digimon chickened out because of the Police, but business was fine otherwise."

Witchmon finally sat down. Takumi didn't know what to think of them. They seemed nice enough, and at least as opposed to the Police as Piddomon, which certainly was not a bad thing.

"Vodsta Gothic Quarter?" asked Shun, his mouth full of food.

"Pardon?" said Wizardmon.

"The Gothic Quarter," interrupted Witchmon, wiping her mouth, "is the most popular place in Midgard. People all over the city go there to eat food and gossip. Wizardmon works there as a bartender."

"Wait a minute," said Ryota. "Don't the Digital Police want everyone in their homes? Then how can you go to the Gothic Quarter?"  
"The Gothic Quarter _is _Wizardmon's home," Witchmon grumbled.

"They're going to take a census of the city," Wizardmon explained. "They want to make sure every Midgardian is at their home and not wandering around inside or outside the city," Wizardmon explained.

"Why's a census so important?" asked Reina.

"To get . . . Information," said Wizardmon slowly. "The age of a Digimon. Where they live and who they live with, their birthplace, their parents and their birthplaces, general information such as their type. Daemon has a huge database of every Digimon living as of last year. They take a census in every city every year, then make changes to the database accordingly.

"Why do they need this information?" asked Shun, batting an eyelid.

Reina punched him in the gut so hard that Shun almost spewed his food across the table. "Don't you _remember_? Daemon wants to eliminate all vaccine and data Digimon through Purification Camp! It's much easier to bring charges against someone when you know a little bit about their background."

"Daemon doesn't _need_ to bring charges," said Wizardmon in disgust, putting down his nearly empty glass. "He has absolute power here. And when he gets Civil City, it'll be everywhere. He's already put security cameras up in Civil . . . And the Elder's getting older, he won't be around for much longer - Civil City will be Daemon's shortly." He sighed. "It's unfortunate that Angemon was sent to die at Purification Camp. Angel Army collapsed without his leadership."  
"Fortunately, Angel Army still meets - well, at least some of the members still meet," said Wizardmon. "They gather at the Gothic Quarter." He got up from his chair. "Tonight, I want you all to follow me to the Gothic Quarter. For many months I have tried to rouse their spirits, but to no avail. They feel very low at this time, like there is no hope. Perhaps if they see the saviors themselves, they will be convinced. We can revive Angel Army and get the Police out of this city."

"Hold on!" shouted Takumi, jumping up from his chair. "Are you asking us to overthrow the Police? To rebel against Daemon?"   
Wizardmon nodded.

"It is a dangerous business," said Witchmon. "The Police are around every corner. And if you _are_ able to get them out, MarineDevimon, Chief of the Digital Police, will come after you."

The "saviors" exchanged glances with each other.

"I'm in," declared Ryota. "Two of us can go ultimate. Plus, we'll have the whole city on our side. Nobody _really_ likes Daemon, do they?"

"Plus, if we really will save the world, we've got to start somewhere," said Reina. "We can't be moving around, doing nothing all the time."  
"Reina's right," Yuka agreed.

"Well, Takumi?" asked Wizardmon. "It might be a hard time convincing the other Digimon. It's your choice."

Takumi thought for a moment. "All right," he said finally. "Let's go. I think we can do it."  
"Then it's settled," said Wizardmon, but at that moment Reina made a painful noise and collapsed on the table.

"Reina!" shouted Takumi. She made no motion.

Witchmon gasped.

"Is she - dead?" Takumi asked horrifyingly, standing over her, not knowing what to do. Witchmon was at Reina's side shortly. She felt her forehead.

"No . . . only fainted. But goodness, is she hot . . ." Takumi was relieved to see the girl slightly open her mouth and say "No . . . I want to go . . ." as Witchmon carried her on her shoulders.

"No," the Digimon said. "You're in no condition to go out now . . . You need rest, and medicine . . ." And she carried her off to a dark bedroom.

Wizardmon gazed into the dark room with a worried look on his partially concealed face. "Well, I guess that's that," he said uncertainly. "We'll just have to go without her . . . Of course, I will perfectly understand if you want to stay here."

Takumi swallowed. Though he was very worried about Reina, he felt a commitment to the Digimon of Midgard City. "No, we'll go . . . Well, I'll go . . ." He looked sympathetically at the others. "I mean . . ."

"Don't worry, Takumi, we'll go with you," said Ryota kindly. The others nodded in support.

And so they headed out the door, with notably less enthusiasm than they had before. But first, Wizardmon had to summon a friend of his. Using a simple spell, Wizardmon made a huge hole in the middle of the floor, and out popped Piddomon, gasping and sputtering.

"Now, see here!" shouted Piddomon, once he regained his senses, standing up to his full height (which was much greater than Wizardmon's). "You have no right to bring me here without my permission!"  
Takumi wondered why Wizardmon was doing this, not to mention what Piddomon was doing when he was rudely summoned.

"We could challenge that statement," said Wizardmon, pointing his staff at the angel Digimon. "Seeing as how the Elder has no power, and the interim governor hasn't even arrived here yet."

"Still -" said Piddomon, quite horrified, "- it's just plain rude! What are you going to do with me?"  
"I am only asking you to accompany us to the Gothic Quarter."

"The Gothic Quarter!? But - but - there are guards around every corner outside! And what do you mean by 'us'? Surely Witchmon isn't accompanying you!"  
Wizardmon stepped aside to reveal Takumi, Ryota, Shun, and Yuka, who had been hidden behind his cape. For a moment, the Gothic Quarter was forgotten.

"You're safe!" cried Piddomon in relief, hugging each of them lightly. "Oh, I was sure you'd be dead by now, saviors! At this absurd house! Have they treated you well?" He gave Wizardmon a suspicious and angry look.

"Yes, very well," replied Shun cheerfully. "We just had supper."  
Wizardmon nodded. "I hope you will see that my wife and I mean no harm, Piddomon, and we feel just as strongly about these humans as you do."  
But the thought of the saviors dining with magic Digimon horrified Piddomon most of all. "No! Please don't tell me you ate their food! And say, wasn't there another of you around here?"

"Reina," said Takumi softly. "She's sick in bed."  
Piddomon gasped. "So you _did_ poison the food!" shouted Piddomon accusingly, pointing a long finger at Wizardmon.

"An outrage!" shouted Wizardmon, angry for the first time. He stepped so close to Piddomon that Takumi thought a fight would ensue. "To think of _me, _poisoning a human! And after I worked so hard for their kind during the Slaughters, helping them hide and leading them to safety, risking my own life!"  
Piddomon didn't reply.

"Reina was poisoned at Purification Camp by Zhuqiaomon," said Yuka, who looked as though she were about to cry. "She was okay at first, but now . . ."

Takumi's hopes for Reina started to melt when he remembered what Zhuqiaomon had said the day previous. If Reina being sick had something to do with the berries, then her chances of surviving were slim to none.

Piddomon sighed deeply.

"I think you owe me an apology," said an indignant Wizardmon.

Piddomon sighed again. "All right," he said, after a moment. "I'm sorry for accusing you. It's just -"  
Wizardmon did not wait for him to continue. "Please, Piddomon. We are alike in many ways, not only in that we have lost brothers, but in our opposition to Daemon. As Angemon's half-brother, we need you. Please help us."  
"_Help_ you?" said Piddomon, looking around the room as if he could find the answer there. "With what?"  
"Angel Army," said Wizardmon.

Piddomon shook his head and waved his arms in protest. "No!" he said flatly. "Not after what happened to my brother! First it was him and a couple of friends protesting, then it was bashing security cameras and setting buildings on fire! And then he got sent to Purification Camp! I'm not helping you! It's too big a risk."  
Wizardmon stared into the angel Digimon's eyes. "In your heart, you know it's the only way to get Daemon and the Police to leave." He gestured to Takumi and the others. "I've already got these humans to help. If they are thought to be the saviors, they will stir up some much-needed excitement."  
Piddomon sniffed, looking down at Takumi, Shun, Yuka, and Ryota. "I can't believe you're helping him!" he said, shaking his head.

"Please, Piddomon," said Yuka desperately, looking longingly up at the angel Digimon's helmet.

"As brother of the former leader of Angel Army, the Digimon will follow you, whether you have experience or not," said Wizardmon, tapping into some of Piddomon's insecurity. "I am sure of it."  
Piddomon, who seemed changed by Yuka and Wizardmon's pleadings, finally gave in. "Oh - all right," he sighed. "But if I'm arrested, it'll be your fault! How do you plan to get to the Gothic Quarter anyway, with the Police patrolling the streets?"  
"Simple," said Wizardmon, turning to the portrait of the caped Digimon that Takumi had seen when he was transported to the house. "My brother, Eidolomon," Wizardmon explained, seeing the curious looks on everyone's faces. "Disappeared about ten years ago." Wizardmon grasped the frame and opened the portrait like a door, revealing a hole large enough for a very tall man to walk through. With Wizardmon leading them, the group climbed through the portrait hole, with Takumi thinking sadly, "Good-bye, Reina." He hoped she would get better.

The group found themselves in a narrow, well-lit tunnel, with a hard dirt floor and torches along the side. "This tunnel will lead us underground, all the way to the Gothic Quarter," explained Wizardmon. "I built it years ago to hide humans from the First Slaughter. Unfortunately, it never served that purpose."  
A sudden idea flashed in Takumi's mind. Finally, a Digimon who remembered humans!

"Wizardmon," he asked awkwardly, as he was near the back of the line, "do you remember a human named Kairu Hito?"  
Wizardmon shook his head, and Takumi felt the old feeling of disappointment wash over him. "No, can't say I did. He could've lived in Civil City, though."  
"We've already looked there," said Takumi, trying very hard not to sound too disappointed. "Is it possible that he lived in the other cities?"  
Wizardmon made a doubtful noise. "It's certainly _possible, _but highly unlikely. The other cities were particularly unfriendly to humans. Most humans had already fled to Midgard and Civil long before the Slaughters."

_So that's it,_ thought Takumi disappointedly. _We know that he died in the First Slaughter, but no one seems to know who he was._ He wished he could put an ad in a newspaper asking if anyone had information about a human named Kairu Hito, but he wasn't sure newspapers even existed in the Digital World.

In the tunnel, Takumi tried to dismiss his father - and Reina - from his thoughts. The darkness of the tunnel clouded him, and he tried to become swept away in the darkness. But soon he saw a glimmer of light. Wizardmon stopped and opened a door. In a moment, they found themselves in a place that was the exact opposite of the tunnel. They were standing behind a bar. Digimon swamped the room, sitting at small tables and gossiping away. The room was dark, and what looked like the head of a boar was hung on a wall. The Digimon were so engrossed in their conversations that they didn't even notice Wizardmon and the others coming in through the trapdoor.

"Watch your step," said Wizardmon cautiously, taking Yuka's hand and helping her down.

Takumi jumped the several feet to the floor, followed closely by Piddomon, who almost landed on his feet. It was when they all scuttled in that someone finally noticed them.

"Hey, Wizardmon, how's it going?" asked a cactus Digimon with a large, silly-looking sombrero. Takumi closed the trapdoor awkwardly, the cactus Digimon caught sight of him and dropped the glass of tequila he was holding.

"_Baile borracho!"_ he exclaimed. "Humans!"

At these words, the entire Gothic Quarter looked up at them all. For a moment there was dead silence. Takumi hoped someone would say something - _anything_. What if this was a trap? What if these Digimon weren't friendly to humans?  
"The saviors!" one Digimon shouted, and the whole Quarter broke into cheers, and Takumi's fears were dashed. He smiled faintly, Piddomon beamed down at them.

For a few seconds, it was like they were forgotten, the dancing and the cheering was so wild. Digimon clapped and rejoiced and shouted. Takumi, Ryota, and Shun were grabbed by the arms and forced to dance disenchanting with three pretty Digimon (and in the case of Ryota, who was kicking and screaming - an ugly one) while Yuka was thrown up several times (to Piddomon's alarm) by a drunken bear Digimon, almost hitting the chandelier. Takumi's dancing partner planted a kiss on his cheek, he tried to back away, but to no avail. The other Digimon, howling and dancing to wild music, didn't notice.

"Stop, stop!" shouted Wizardmon, standing up on the counter for attention, but his voice was barely a whisper over the shouts and extraneous noises made by the other Digimon.

Takumi had never, ever seen a reaction like this. The Digimon of Civil had a small parade, but nothing like this. Just as Takumi thought he was going to die from dancing, Wizardmon's staff lit up, and BANG! The chandelier fell to the floor (barely missing Yuka's head) shattering into pieces. The Digimon stopped their dancing, the music ended, an Ryota pushed his dancing partner in a bathtub full of pickles. Everyone stared up at Wizardmon and tried to remember why they had been cheering.

"Thank you," said Wizardmon, looking out over the bar. "What we have hoped for has come at last, and now that they are here, they bring hope. Hope that this great city can be ours again, hope that the world will belong to Digimon of peace."  
Takumi and everyone else listened intently. _How are they going to do this?_ he thought. _How in the world were they going to oust the police?_

"And so, I present to you, the saviors - Yuka Hamada, Takumi Hito, Shun Oshiro, and Ryota Surashi!" Takumi, bewildered, joined Wizardmon in front along wild the others and bowed to great applause.

"And may I present the brother of Angemon, the dearly departed former leader of Angel Army, Piddomon!"  
Piddomon came up and gave an uncertain, faint bow to applause slightly less greater than the saviors received.

Wizardmon stood on tiptoes on the counter to see over Piddomon. "We gather here today, with the help of the saviors, to take down the Digital Police of Midgard City! Anyone who objects or denies that these are the saviors, please step forward!"  
Silence. Everyone nodded their heads unanimously. No one came forward. Except one.

A tiny, metal Digimon that lacked a torso stepped forward. In place of what should have been its left arm was a heavy cannon. On his right hand were three nasty-looking, menacing nails.

"The saviors! Ha!" he addressed the crowd. "Why, I remember just years ago in Civil City -"

"But MetalMamemon, that was before the Slaughter," said Wizardmon calmly. "Tell me . . . How could it have been that these four children survived the Slaughters?"  
"Well, it's very possible," said MetalMamemon, scratching his metal chin with his metal claw. "Just because there were two Slaughters doesn't mean that _no_ human survived. I mean -"  
"But what are the chances of _these_ four humans surviving the Slaughters? Which, they _didn't_ - you see, MetalMamemon, these humans come from another world. Not only that, but they can transform into Digimon." Wizardmon looked straight at MetalMamemon, who still seemed unconvinced.

"Really? Oh. I thought it was merely a matter of four humans. So they came from another world. I see. And they can transform into Digimon. Interesting. But if we say that all humans here in this world are dead, that means the only place they can come from is the Real World. Nothing special about that -"  
Wizardmon sighed. "Ever the skeptic," he said under his breath.

MetalMamemon heard him. "I'm not trying to prove that they're not the saviors," he said, with a look at Takumi. "Just that we need to examine the facts before we place our confidence in you all. After all, we need to make sure you can be trusted. This is a dangerous mission. If we are caught, we face death. We are placing our lives in your hands. Let's not rush in like a bunch of fools." He stared behind him at some of the Digimon who had been dancing wildly a minute ago, who were now cowering under their tables.

"We're not rushing in!" shouted Wizardmon, clearly angry.

"Oh really? Let's see . . ." MetalMamemon stepped up and examined them all. "First we have Wizardmon, who has been trying to oust the Police ever since they planned to come here. I guess now that the saviors are here you have a legitimate excuse to attack?"

"It _is _a legitimate excuse!" shouted Wizardmon. "After all, they're the saviors."  
MetalMamemon ignored him and moved on. "Then we have Piddomon, older, _half-brother_ of Angemon. I guess leadership didn't come from your father's side of the family, Piddomon. Being in the same family as Angemon doesn't entitle you to fame."  
"I don't _want_ fame!" snarled Piddomon. He started up at Wizardmon. "I don't even want to be leader of Angel Army!"  
MetalMamemon laughed. "Oh, I get it. Wizardmon's using you all. Thought that having four humans and Angemon's brother by your side would give you a good case to oust the Police? Thought it would stir up emotions? We see right through magic Digimon like you, Wizardmon . . ."  
The wizard Digimon gritted his teeth in frustration, knowing that his plan was backfiring. "If I hadn't known better," he said angrily, "I'd say that you were working for the Police instead of us! We have the saviors _right here_!"

MetalMamemon frowned. Everyone was listening. "So, we have the saviors on our side. What will they do for us? What Digimon can they transform into, anyway?"  
Takumi stepped forward, angry at the skeptical Digimon. "Hey! We have two ultimates, and two champions - three if Reina comes!"

MetalMamemon smirked. "Oh really? Let me ask you . . . How long have you been in the ultimate form?"  
Takumi thought. At Purification Camp he had lost track of time. "Let me see," he said, counting on his fingers. "About two weeks for me and almost a month for Ryota."

"A _month_?" said MetalMamemon, a kind of disbelieving grin on his face, like it was the most pitiful thing he had ever heard. A few Digimon in the crowd smiled nervously. "Ha! If you try to overthrow the Police, MarineDevimon will come after you. I have been at the ultimate level for many decades and I have trained vigorously, and still my power is no math for MarineDevimon, who killed thousands of humans in the DigiHuman War. To even think that your powers could rival MarineDevimon's is lunacy."

"Yes, but we have _two_ ultimates," Takumi replied, greatly discouraged. He wasn't even arguing anymore, he was just trying to find whatever he had left in him before he was bombarded with MetalMamemon's facts. "And this -"  
"So? MarineDevimon could easily kill every Digimon in this city and not even break a sweat."

MetalMamemon had a huge advantage: he knew the facts, Takumi could not. The outsider looked at Wizardmon for help, but he too seemed defeated.

"Hey! What level is Vikemon?" asked Shun suddenly.

"Vikemon? The Eldest of Midgard City?" asked MetalMamemon, confused. "He's at the mega level. Why?"

Shun clapped his hands together. "Great! That means he can join us in defeating the Police and MarineDevimon!"  
There were murmurings in the crowd. Takumi and the other humans looked as overjoyed about Shun as the Digimon had been about them. Wizardmon and Piddomon beamed proudly, MetalMamemon shook his head.

"Yeah, let's have the Elder fight!" chimed in one Digimon. "He'd show MarineDevimon!"  
"Yes, yes!" chorused several other Digimon.

"No, no, no!" MetalMamemon protested. "The Elder is very old - after all, he's the Elder! He's too frail to fight! And besides, an Elder fighting is not for high-ranking figures like him! Fighting is for lowly Digimon like ourselves, not him! It would dishonor the Eldership!"  
Takumi remembered SaberLeomon fighting him when he evolved to Radiatimon. Was MetalMamemon being truthful?  
Now it was Wizardmon's turn to speak. "There are more important things at stake than having a traditional Eldership. If we do not fight, then no one will be an Elder."

MetalMamemon was about to open his mouth to protest, but by then cheers sounded all through the Gothic Quarter.

"Let's see how the Police like the Elder!"  
"MarineDevimon ought to be scared out of his wits!"  
"The saviors! Good job! I can't believe I'm meeting you all!" said an Apemon, giving Takumi's hand a painfully hard shake.

"Three cheers for the saviors! Hip hip - hurrah! Hip hip -"  
The Digimon stopped in mid-cheer.

"What's happened?" Takumi asked Ryota as the whole room fell silent. Piddomon and MetalMamemon were staring intently at the door, only Wizardmon, who was looking down at the fallen chandelier, was not looking at it. They heard voices outside:  
"What's going on?"  
"Digimon, sir, in there, it's like a damn party or something -"  
MetalMamemon looked around, gazing horrifyingly around at the Digimon. "Into the trapdoor!" he said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

The wild screams and shouts of panic were so loud that Takumi was sure that they were going to be given away. Crowds made their way down a trapdoor in the middle of the wooden floor. Takumi was unable to make up his mind on whether he should follow before Wizardmon grabbed his arm. He felt his feet leave the ground as Wizardmon pulled him down, through the trapdoor. It happened so fast that Takumi didn't have time to look back to see if the others had made it.

"Everyone in?" a voice that sounded like MetalMamemon asked quietly.

_They couldn't have forgotten the saviors,_ Takumi thought reassuringly, unable to see anything.

All of them - at least forty in number - were in a dark room underneath the Gothic Quarter. The trapdoor had been hidden beneath a rug in front of the pickle-filled bathtub. MetalMamemon put the rug and the trapdoor back in place as many Digimon "shh!"d one another. Takumi could see nothing but inky blackness, made all the more darker by the fact that the only sounds in the room were the rapid breathing of all the Digimon.

They all listened intently. A door opened.

"Hey!" someone shouted. "Is anyone in here?"  
Takumi had a horrible, horrible feeling that someone was going to shout: "Hey! Down here, under the rug next to the bathtub!" but nothing came. The breathing disappeared, everyone seemed to be holding their breath.

"Hello!" came the shout again. The voice reminded him like a police officer's in Yokohama. "Completely deserted," he murmured. Then there was the slamming of a door, then, from within the room under the trapdoor, a sound like stifled laughter. Takumi grinned. They had outwitted the intruder. There was more triumphant laughter, until Wizardmon shut them up.

"Be quiet! They might be tricking us into coming out!"  
There was more stifled laughter from one Digimon.

"Really, now!"  
"I think it's safe," Piddomon whispered. There was a shuffling of feet.

"Okay," said a reluctant Wizardmon. Takumi couldn't see what he was doing, but a beam of light indicated that he was opening the trapdoor slightly, making sure no one was inside. "The coast is clear," he said, turning back to the others.

There was a loud whoop of joy.

"Really, now!" Wizardmon scowled. "We _must_ be quiet! If they hear us again, they'll start to get really suspicious. We were lucky that time -"  
There was a scramble and Wizardmon was pushed out by a crowd of cheering Digimon. "Really, now!" he said again, putting his hat back on as Digimon trampled him. He straightened up, and when the last of Digimon came out, he closed the trapdoor, after yelling to see if anyone was still inside (no reply came). He straightened his hat and turned to address the other Digimon.

"All right, you want to get to the Elder?" Wizardmon asked, in an attempt to rouse their spirits.

"Yeah!" There was a great cheer, followed by many "shh!"s.

Wizardmon flapped his arms for quiet. "All right then. We will go, single file, but _you must be quiet. _I don't know how hard I can stress that."  
Piddomon, who was wiping his helmet with his hand, turned around. "Er - where are we going?"  
Wizardmon and the other Digimon looked at Piddomon like he was the biggest fool ever. Takumi and the other humans were just as bewildered, however.

"To the Elder's house, of course," said Wizardmon, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yes, but - how?" Piddomon was clueless.

"Follow me," Wizardmon sighed, and led them to a portrait of the same Digimon in Witchmon's family room, Wizardmon's brother, Eidolomon. He was still looking down at his feet.

"He looks creepy," said Shun. Takumi followed his sentiments. To his surprise, Wizardmon wasn't offended, and several Digimon laughed.

"Well, seeing as how Midgard is now Daemon's, and seeing as how my brother would have been an ardent follower had he not disappeared out in the desert nine years ago, I thought it would be appropriate to hang his picture everywhere." Wizardmon frowned, then looked sad. Then he swung open the portrait, and there was yet another tunnel, similar to the one leading to Wizardmon's house, but slightly larger to permit taller Digimon.

Wizardmon climbed in first, and the other Digimon followed, allowing their "saviors" in front of them like this was as natural as taking the subway. When everyone had clambered in, MetalMamemon shut the portrait, bringing up the rear.

"These tunnels were built years ago when it became a possibility that Midgard could be taken over," explained an old Digimon named Jijimon to Takumi and the other humans. "This one leads right to the Elder's mansion."  
Takumi wondered what the Elder thought of a tunnel from the Gothic Quarter opening up in his house. Of course, Vikemon couldn't use it, he as much too large for it. As he thought of the ever sobbing Elder, he imagined that even if he could fit, his tears would flood the tunnel.

"This reminds me of the Shadow Gang's hideout," Shun said to Takumi, who was walking alongside him. "Remember that, Takumi?"  
He nodded. But the truth was that he hadn't been in his own world for such a long time that he was beginning to wonder if it was all a dream. It seemed like years since Tekkan Shintaro, Ryan Royama, Diana Watari, and his own counselor, Kisho Stone (alias Flint Shale) had explained everything to them in their hideout below a very large tree in Yokohama.

Finally they saw a gleam of light. Takumi walked many yards before he realized that something was wrong.

"What the -"  
Suddenly everyone in front stopped, causing the Digimon in the back to topple over them.

"What's the hold-up?" someone in the back demanded.

Wizardmon, who was ten feet in front of Takumi, was examining the portrait hole - or at least, the hole.

"There's no portrait!" said an alarmed Wizardmon, and he was correct, instead there was a wide, gaping hole in the middle of the wall.

"W-what does that mean?" asked Piddomon with a shiver.

Wizardmon held out his staff. "I don't know - this opens up into the Elder's room. Elder? Elder?"  
There was a whimper in response.

"Is it okay?" asked Yuka urgently, who was following him closely.

"Yes, yes I think it is," said Wizardmon, but he still brandished his staff. "You all wait here . . . Hang on . . ."  
Takumi turned around. Some Digimon were standing on tip-toe to see through the hole, a few Digimon in the back, including MetalMamemon, were pushing their way through the tunnel.

"What happened, Wizardmon?" MetalMamemon asked, nearly pushing Jijimon over.

"Be quiet!" warned Wizardmon with a finger to his lips.

"What are you going to do?" asked Piddomon.

"I'm going to go through. I think it's safe, but if something happens to me, don't follow. Go back to the Gothic Quarter and go home - everyone."  
Piddomon nodded, and Wizardmon stepped through.

What happened next was like a firework. A pair of hands grabbed hold of Wizardmon's cape, choking him. "Gotcha!"  
Piddomon edged back, fear on his face. "Go - everyone go back!" he shouted. But before they could even move, a voice shouted:  
"No! You're not going anywhere! Come here or I'll throw this bomb!"  
Piddomon, Takumi, Ryota, Shun, Yuka, and the other first few Digimon in the tunnel gasped. Through the portrait hole they could see four Digimon: The same Ogremon that had led the Genesis Team to Purification Camp, two Ogremon look-alikes, and a small Digimon that lacked a torso and legs and was hovering high above the ground. The fourth was the smallest, but definitely the most menacing: It had two horns, large red eyes, a wide grin, and two long arms, one of which held a large, pink bomb that was smoking from the outside. In his other arm was a chainsaw that looked too heavy for him to carry. It looked like an out-of-control machine. All of them wore badges on their chests, except for the machine Digimon, who wore it on his chin. They were obviously members of the Digital Police.

"You heard me! Ger back in here or I'll throw this thing!"  
Instead of obeying the Digimon's orders, the ones in the tunnel were edging backward, some toppling over each other. He didn't give them time to react before he gave a very good throw of the bomb. It landed in the tunnel, which sloped downward, near the Digimon in the rear. There was a wild scramble, and the ones in the tunnel went flying through the portrait hole. Some didn't even know what they were to find at the end. Takumi was pushed through the hole and nearly trampled on by panicking Digimon. When everyone had climbed out in to the Elder's room, the bomb exploded, right on queue. The deranged-looking machine Digimon smiled, they had fallen right into his trap. Another bomb popped up magically in the Digimon's hand.

All in the Elder's room now, the Digimon crowded in the middle of the room in fear. What would happen to them? He saw one of the Ogremon look-alikes, with blue-green skin and icicles all over body hold Wizardmon by one foot. The other Ogremon, looking like it had come right out of the jungle, was smashing his hat. Takumi saw an open door leading to the hallway. Should he run for it? But before he could dwell on it much longer, the bomb-throwing Digimon (identified by Shun as Giromon) summoned a rope from thin air. Like there was a ghost maneuvering it, the ropes tied themselves around the crowd of Digimon and tightened. The ogre Digimon laughed evilly, a look of triumph non their faces. Takumi's stomach lurched as the rope binding him tightened still. They had a right to be triumphant.

Giromon hovered towards them, his grin wider than ever. Takumi was beginning to think that it was painted on. Whether it was real or not wouldn't have made the situation any better.

"Well, well, well," the machine Digimon said, letting the severity of the situation sink in. "Look what we found. I'd say forty Digimon, conspiring against us, four of which are humans. Well, I must say I never expected this."  
No one replied. Everyone was depressed - and incredulous. How could they have been so stupid? MetalMamemon had been right all along, it was too dangerous. _If we had not arrived, this would not be happening,_ Takumi thought remorsefully. He didn't think he could ever forgive himself. Ryota and Shun looked like they were about to throw up. Tears streamed from Yuka's eyes, and Takumi felt sorry for all the Digimon with them. Surely this would be their last day alive.

Giromon grinned as the Ogremon look-alikes tried to restrain themselves from laughing. "I suppose you're wondering how we knew you were coming here?" He hovered over to them. "Well, don't worry. I won't let you die in suspense." It was like he was practicing a speech in the mirror - no one replied. No one said anything. If Giromon noticed he wasn't uncomfortable with it. "We were inspecting this mansion, trying to get information, but your pitiful Elder wouldn't even talk to us -" He gestured towards the Elder, who was sobbing in a corner, all tied up. Takumi hadn't even noticed him. "Such a pitiful creature he was, he wouldn't stop bawling. When we wouldn't leave he threw a portrait at us." Takumi saw, right next to his feet, a portrait of a very old female Digimon, its frame broken, obviously the previous Elder of Midgard City who had died recently.

"Then, would you guess what we saw? A huge hole. In the middle of the wall." He pointed his chainsaw toward the portrait hall they had just scrambled out of. "When we questioned him where the hole led, he didn't answer, so we tied him up." Vikemon let out a loud sob.

"We were just about to send some officers to explore when we got word that a bunch of Digimon and four humans were going through the tunnel to talk to the Elder -"  
Wizardmon's eyes widened upside down. "Who told? Who told!?" he demanded, before being jiggled around by the ice Digimon's gorilla-like arms.

Giromon ignored him. "We were also told that they were conspiring against us. But what most surprised me was the information about the humans. I've never heard the like of it!" He looked right into Takumi's eyes, he had a horrible feeling that Giromon was going to slice his head off then and there. He didn't.

"MarineDevimon will be informed, as will Daemon. This is unacceptable behavior."

Takumi wasn't listening anymore, not even when Giromon summoned a dinosaur-like Digimon that seemed to consist of nothing but Legos, gave him a message, and sent him flying back through the door. Takumi was thinking about who might have told. His mind went from Digimon to Digimon, each suspect more unlikely than the last. There was simply not enough clues to solve the mystery. He knew no Digimon in the city, didn't know their background . . . He briefly suspected MetalMamemon, who had been so reluctant to go, but MetalMamemon was with them now, and always, he _couldn't_ have informed the Police, unless he knew telepathy, and Takumi was sure that he didn't. What about the Police who they heard outside? It wasn't them either, they hadn't even known they were there . . . Loud sobbing disturbed his thoughts. It was Vikemon.

"Be quiet, you miserable, worthless old Digimon . . ." Takumi turned around to see Giromon stab Vikemon in the side with his chainsaw. There was a roar of pain, and the Elder exploded into bits of data. The ropes binding him fell to the ground.

There was a loud gasp from those tied up.

"No!" shouted Wizardmon. The other Ogremon look-alike, a jungle Digimon named Fugamon, punched him in the gut, upside-down.

Giromon ignored them all. "Usually I can only execute Digimon with permission from MarineDevimon," he said, turning to them. "But seeing as how the interim government hasn't even arrived yet, and the Police have been given authority, and such a great amount of conspirators . . . Yes." He grinned wider still. "Good-bye, 'saviors' . . ."

Takumi closed his eyes, dreading the impact of the chainsaw on his head. There was nothing to save them now . . . Nothing . . . But the chainsaw never came. Instead, there was a shattering of glass.

"What the -"  
Takumi opened his eyes to see Suraiimon on the floor, hissing at the Ogremons, who backed away in terror. Witchmon followed her through the window. Giromon was livid, amazed that someone would dare interrupt the execution. Takumi could have cheered. Some Digimon did.

"Never mind!" shouted Giromon. "You will be the first to die!" He pulled the string on the chainsaw, and, to everyone's horror, flung it at Suraiimon.

But Suraiimon was quick to react. With a graceful jump, she kicked the chainsaw out of the way, hitting Fugamon in the abdomen. The ogre Digimon opened his mouth to scream, but he deleted before any sound came out. At the same time Suraiimon dived at Giromon, whose grin was unchanged but clearly angry. In rage, he threw a bomb at the fox Digimon. It missed and hit the ceiling, exploding in mid-air.

"Takumi!" Suraiimon shouted at him. "Transform and it will break the rope!"  
"Oh - right," he said, embarrassed. He nodded at Ryota, Shun, and Yuka.

"Transform . . . HIAMON!" "KIBAMON!" "MEKANORIMON!" "MIKEMON!"

The rope snapped easily. Already the ice Digimon (whom Takumi had earlier identified as Hyogamon) had dropped Wizardmon and was coming to the aid of his boss, who was trying to _punch_ Suraiimon, who in turn clawed him furiously. Giromon had his bomb, but he was nothing without his chainsaw, which one Digimon figured out quickly and ceased the opportunity to throw it out the shattered window.

The three Police were seriously outnumbered. _We've won_, Takumi thought with a grin. But their victory was premature. Giromon, looking flabbergasted, put two fingers in his mouth, and whistled three times.

There was a rumbling outside the mansion like a stampede. Flying toward the window, Takumi saw them: Over a hundred Digimon charging to the mansion door, all of them Ogremon, Fugamon, and Hyogamon, all wearing golden badges.

_CRASH._

The heavy door came down, and Police raced madly up the stairs and down the hallway and tumbled into the room. The Angel Army stood paralyzed. Giromon grinned broadly. Hiamon saw that they were outnumbered by more than two to one.

"Kill them!" shouted Giromon, pointing his middle finger at the army. The Ogremons made no hesitation in bashing their clubs down on the heads of the army's Digimon. A Fugamon lashed out against Hiamon, who easily hurled him through the window. He didn't hear him fall to the ground with a _SPLAT_ and delete because in a second's time several more were on top of him, viciously striking him with their clubs and accidentally hitting each other in the process. Had there only been one Digimon they would be finished by now, but with three he had to focus on killing one while enduring the clubs of the others.

Suraiimon and Mikemon were having similar problems. Suraiimon was Giromon's great annoyance and he expressed it while pelting her with bombs. Mikemon made fools out of her enemies when she jumped up as three Ogremon hurled their clubs at the same time, missing miserably and knocking each other out in the process, but several more Fugamon had made a game of who could whack her on the head the most before she died. The other Digimon in Angel Army fought bravely, but some had no experience in fighting and were overwhelmed by the Ogremon's clubs and the occasional bomb thrown by Giromon. Wizardmon, Witchmon, and MetalMamemon were easily the most powerful Digimon, the magic Digimon turning Giromon's bombs into harmless tennis balls and the latter blasting energy balls out of his cannon, causing great damage. Jijimon, who had talked to Takumi in the tunnel, was also powerful, being a mega Digimon, but seriously outnumbered. As Hiamon blocked another club bash with his shoulder, he wished that the less experienced Digimon had had more training. Out of the Genesis Team, only Shun had an easy time, with his Digimon's forms laser beams, which killed many Ogremon in assembly-line fashion. Ryota, however, was being trounced, with Hyogamon and Fugamon bashing him on the head with their clubs. Kibamon nodded weakly at Hiamon. Takumi knew what he meant. The dragon Digimon grabbed the D-Pendulum around his neck.

"Hiamon digivolve to . . . Radiatimon!"  
"Kibamon digivolve to . . . Hypothermon!"

The first thing Takumi noticed in his ultimate form was a sharp pain on his head. Then he looked up - he was huge, and his head had gone through the roof. The Ogremon who had been attacking him drew back, but brandished their clubs threateningly. But Takumi was not afraid.

"Helios Missile!"  
From his back issued a huge missile, which dove into all the Ogremon. _BASH!_ They landed on the opposite wall and exploded with the missile, their data floating through the huge hole Radiatimon had made. But several Hyogamon were upon him in an instant, he didn't have time to feel embarrassed. The poor Digimon forgot their elements and a simple breath of fire put an end to them.

Hypothermon too had quickly turned the tables on his attackers and joined Radiatimon in coming to the aid of Mikemon, whose opponent had not even given her a chance to get up.

"Lay off!" Radiatimon shouted, scaring a Fugamon so badly he fell out of the hole in the wall.

"Freeze Tranquil!" Hypothermon attacked, turning an Ogremon into an ice cube, which Radiatimon melted with a fiery sneeze.

Mekanorimon kept blasting Ogremons and Suraiimon continued to elude Giromon, who was throwing bombs at her faster than ever. Most of the less experienced Digimon were fighting dismally, but some (when they weren't outnumbered) were able to smash the Ogremons' faces in, which was impressive because the Digital Police were highly trained. More and more Police were being killed, while Takumi figured that the Ogremon had only managed to knock some of them out. The Police were slowly disappearing.

Sensing this, Giromon shouted, "Okay, that's enough!" Then a chainsaw appeared in his hand, then another, then another and another. He began to juggle them, a nasty grin on his face. As he juggled, more and more chainsaws appeared, until finally there were at least ten. "Now die!" And he threw the chainsaws in every direction.

Radiatimon looked up and saw a chainsaw flying right at him, another at Jijimon, yet another at Kibamon and the other digital humans, and several more at various Digimon. The dragon Digimon was paralyzed with dread. There was no way to avoid it, he was going to die, and their key fighters would die too -

"No!" There was a shout from Suraiimon. She dove in front of the chainsaw that was heading for Takumi. Everything seemed like it was going in slow motion.

"Reina, no!" Radiatimon shouted.

Then there was a blinding flash of light, and Suraiimon was glowing. She rose on her hind legs, and her body became less beast and more human. The teeth disappeared, her narrow fox nose became a human one, her intense blue eyes became more calm, and her reddish color grew fainter. The front legs became arms, covered in blue sleeves. Everything about her was human, except the claws on her hands, which she retained, and the angel wings. The digivolve from had brown, human hair (like Reina's) and was covered in a blue cloak.

"Nornmon!"

And with a wave of her arms, all the chainsaws disappeared.

"What!?" Giromon spat. "How can it be?!" Then, turning to the Police, he shouted, "Kill her!"  
All at once the Ogremons charged at the newly-digivolve Nornmon, wielding their clubs violently. All the other Digimon were forgotten. Nornmon didn't move an inch.

"Now!" she shouted, and Angel Army charged at the Ogremon and threw back their clubs. Intense fighting began. Radiatimon punched an Ogremon's club right out of their hands and used his Helios Flame to kill him. More deletions followed. Radiatimon looked at Nornmon. She was chanting, and each time she chanted the ogre Digimon would flash. She was draining them of their power!  
Giromon saw this. "Die, you wretched Digimon!" A bomb appeared in his hands, growing bigger and bigger by the second. When it was as large as a boulder he threw it hard.

_BSHPH._

It exploded in mid-air; Witchmon had thrown her broomstick at it. She collected it and flew off, giving Nornmon the thumbs-up as she passed.

Giromon was inflamed. "Why you little - I'll kill you with my bare hands!" He lunged at Witchmon, but before he could even grab her cape -

"Destiny Weaving!"  
Giromon was tied up in cords, they tightened and he deleted overhead.

All at once, the fighting stopped, Radiatimon punched a Hyogamon in the jaw one more time, only the more ruthless of the Ogremon, Fugamon, and Hyogamon persisted - there were few, because most of them were dead. Eventually they all surrendered, and they were bound up in the same rope that Giromon had tied them up in earlier. Radiatimon, Hypothermon, Nornmon, and the other digital humans devolved with only minor injuries.

Takumi could hardly sustain himself. "We won! I can't believe we won!"

An Ogremon's lip curled. "Ha! MarineDevimon will kill you in the hand."  
"Shut it, you," said Wizardmon, giving him a "playful" bop on the head with his staff.

"You were really good, Reina," said Shun, blushing.

"Thanks," said Reina with a smile.

"You had perfect timing!" said Wizardmon, coming up to Witchmon. "How did you know we were here?"  
Witchmon made a strange noise. "Well, Reina really wanted to come to the Gothic Quarter to help. I insisted on accompanying her, and when we didn't find you there, we looked all over the city."

"All over the city?" said Ryota suspiciously. "Didn't you get caught?"  
"No," said Witchmon. "A stroke of good luck! A Digimon who was also walking the streets told me that you were probably in the Elder's mansion. When we heard that you had been captured, we tried a surprise attack. Did it work?"  
"Yeah," said Takumi. "Thanks."

There was a sound like a motorcycle, and in through the broken window came the Digimon that consisted of Legos.

Takumi jumped back. "Whoa!"

Witchmon chuckled. "It's not a member of the Digital Police, don't worry." The Digimon behind them all laughed. "That's a ToyAgumon. It delivers mail across the Digital World."  
"But who would be writing to us?" asked Ryota.

They didn't have long to wait. A projection appeared right above the Lego Digimon. It displayed another Digimon, a blue-black Digimon with a demonic face and four long tentacles. Takumi didn't need to be told who it was: MarineDevimon.

"That great devil has sent us a message!" shouted Jijimon angrily, beating his staff on the ground.

"Shh! Let's hear what he has to stay."  
MarineDevimon had a grin that was cockier and nastier than Giromon's. "Greetings from the deep blue sea," he said. He had an icy, cold voice, a voice that was eerily fitting for an underwater demon Digimon. "I must say I am very impressed that you defeated the Digital Police in Midgard City - _yes, I know_." He said this just as their faces grew astonished.

"Yeah! Go MarineDevimon!" shouted some Ogremon in the back.

"Shut up!" shouted Wizardmon. "Or I'll have second thoughts on sparing you!"  
They grew quiet.

MarineDevimon continued. "If I knew that there was going to be a rebellion like this I would not have sent my weakest police force."  
"You're just bluffing!" shouted Shun.

"Quiet!" said Wizardmon. "He's not speaking to us in real time!"

"Oh."

"Now, you all seem to be under the impression that I'm going to 'go after you'," the chief of the Digital Police continued. "But you're the one with the powerful army. Why don't _you_ come after _me_?" He grinned. "I'm looking for a nice, long battle. Send everyone you have. I will wipe them out like a tsunami." The projection ended.

"Ergo?" the ToyAgumon asked in a voice like a puppy.

"No, no," said Witchmon. "You may go."  
And it dashed out the window.

"What does he mean?" Takumi asked. "'Come after him'?"

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" said Reina. "We've got to go to him in the ocean, and -" She stopped in mid-sentence and looked up at Witchmon, as if asking, "How are we going to get to the ocean?"

"We'll find a way," Witchmon sighed.

"We certainly will!" shouted MetalMamemon. "I'll go to the deepest depths of the ocean to defeat MarineDevimon, even if I get rusty!"  
"You will _not_ get rusty," assured Wizardmon. "I have a plan, of course . . . But it will be hard."

Takumi was as surprised as any that Midgard had been cleared of Digital Police, the fighting had gone by so fast that he couldn't remember any of it at all by the day's end.

"Yep, we got 'em," said MetalMamemon, throwing the last member of the Police into a cell, and Takumi was sorry he ever suspected that he was the spy. They were in a back room of the Gothic Quarter, which occupied quite a few cells, perfect for putting the Police who had preferred to surrender instead of go down fighting - six in all. Takumi and Ryota had been assisting MetalMamemon in jailing them.

"Yeah, but who's going to be the new Elder?" asked Ryota. "Vikemon was killed in the fight."

"Jijimon, of course," said MetalMamemon, locking a door to the cell. Takumi thought back to the Digimon who had spoken to him in the tunnel. "He is, of course, the best man for the job. I mean, he's the oldest in this city now, which is lucky, because he's in the Army and we need his help. Anyway, I doubt Vikemon would have helped any, which was why I was a tad reluctant to go to the mansion."  
"Oh - the mansion," said Takumi, remembering. "The window's broken, there's a hole in the wall, and the roof's half gone . . ."  
MetalMamemon held up a clawed hand in impatience. "Don't worry. Jijimon will just have to live somewhere else. We're in a war against Daemon now - we've made a statement by ousting the Police, and Jijimon knows that. We need to invest in training equipment and war materials, not fixing up an Elder's mansion to look nice."  
"So - you're going with us to MarineDevimon's base?" asked Ryota uncertainly.

"Of course I'm going with you! The whole army is. You don't think you could defeat MarineDevimon by yourself, do you? We wouldn't have won today if it weren't for Nornmon. Yep, we'll just have to train harder . . ."

Takumi looked up. "Say, where is Reina anyway?"  
"At the hospital," Ryota replied. "Why?"  
Takumi's face fell. "I've got to go," he said, dashing out of the back room and out the door. "Bye!" And he closed it behind him.

It was nice to get a breath of fresh air, all this time he had been sweating inside. A nice breeze blew through the mostly-deserted streets. Word must not have gotten very far that all the Police had been killed or captured and Jijimon was the new Elder. That was unfortunate, for Takumi realized that he didn't know where the hospital was. The word scared him. A hospital was where people with cancer and serious diseases went, not a healthy young girl. But Reina wasn't healthy, she had eaten vaccine berries in the food served at Purification Camp.

Luckily he found a Digimon named Garurumon prowling the streets, who pointed him in the direction of the hospital. "Over that way," he said. "The small brick building."  
It looked more like a motel than a hospital. A female Digimon with long blonde hair and a gray helmet and angel wings was at the front desk. Behind her were twenty beds on each side of the room. She looked mildly familiar - Takumi wondered if she was related to Angemon or Piddomon. Maybe a half-sister or something like that.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

Now he remembered. He had seen this nice, pretty Digimon - Angemon - in Demon Castle, one of SkullSatamon's secretaries. They had been locked in a cell, and she had come to the rescue by letting them free. At least, he thought she had. It was so dark they couldn't see their heroine.

"Well?" Angewomon asked.

"Oh!" said Takumi. This was certainly not the same Angewomon. "Yeah - I'm here to see a human named Reina. Is she here?"

Angewomon smiled faintly. "Yes, on the eighth bed on the left. I'll show you."  
She led him to a small, blue bed. Reina was there, but asleep. She had a tube in the mouth. Takumi winced at the sight.

"It's been a long time since we've had humans in here." Angewomon smiled.

Takumi wasn't paying attention. "Will she be all right? Is she okay? She won't -"  
"She'll be fine," assured Angewomon. Takumi was relieved to see other Angewomon and a strange shaman Digimon with a mask treating the other patients. "We just need to extract the poison from her body." She smiled, seeing his astonished face. "It's easy enough if done early. If she had come a day later, it may have been too late."  
"Yeah," said Takumi. "Zhuqiaomon said - he's the guardian -"  
"Reina has already explained everything to me," said the angel Digimon quietly. "We also brought Yuka here to test for poisoning, and there was a little, but nothing that would cause any real damage. Still, I've given her this to take every day." She held up a medicine bottle that looked like a bird had pooped on it.

"Yeah . . ." Takumi said indifferently. "Anyway, thanks for telling me . . ." He strode out of the room.

"Bye," Angewomon waved.

"Bye," Takumi whispered to Reina. "Sorry."

Reina was out of the hospital in three days. In that duration of time, Takumi had explored Midgard City with Ryota and Shun when he wasn't celebrating with the other Digimon. They had fund some spectacular restaurants, but no one seemed to have known Kairu Hito.

"Just give it up, Takumi," said Shun, licking a blueberry Popsicle that he had purchased at Penguinmon's Popsicle Parlor. "He must have lived in some other city."  
Takumi was a bit reluctant to follow the advice of Shun, who, unlike him, actually had a father - even though Mr. Oshiro thought that Shun had perished in a fire at the juvenile hall. When they first came to the Digital World Takumi had been hoping beyond hope that he was the same way - only _thinking_ his father had been dead, when in actuality he was living in the Digital World. Now the hope that anyone even knew who he was was dwindling. It seemed as though his father had just come to the Digital World and died in the First Slaughter without time to meet anybody.

He was in a more cheery mood when they found Reina back at Wizardmon and Witchmon's house.

"You're back!" Takumi exclaimed, almost hugging her.

"If Giromon can't get me down, what makes you think poison can?" she grinned. "I'm going to go help Wizardmon, it's his turn to supervise and he just managed to blow up a potato . . . Just don't tell Witchmon." And she rushed back to the kitchen.

Dinner was just as good as the three nights before had been (sirloin that was actually grown from the ground, potatoes, corn, beans, cornbread, and weird black things Takumi wouldn't touch). During the meal they talked of current events, of all the cities in the Digital World, the dangers of the Net Sea (the ocean of the Digital World that was actually right next to Midgard), previous Elders and other things. Dessert was chocolate layer cake which made them all feel right at home. The best part though, were the fireworks at the end. Takumi and the others were very grateful when a stream of red, blue, green, and yellow firecrackers exploded, followed by the words: "Thank you, saviors!"  
It only lasted for a few seconds, but they were very appreciative and made all the scars they had bared in the last battle worth it. There was much cheering, for all the Digimon had gone outside to watch the display. Then -

_LONG LIVE DAEMON._

New words formed in the sky, but in a different place and obviously from different fireworks. The words were crude but still expensive-looking.

"They should find whoever did that and put them in jail!" shouted Ryota with gritted teeth. He looked like he was about to beat someone. Wizardmon restrained him.

"It's useless. They'd be long gone by the time someone came," Wizardmon explained. "Well, there were some nice fireworks - except that bit at the end." He grimaced.

"Yeah, don't worry," said Reina. "We'll get them - all the Daemon supporters, and MarineDevimon too. And then Daemon himself!"

_Next time on Digimon Genesis!  
No one said it was easy to get to the bottom of the ocean to fight MarineDevimon! It's to the deepest depths and back up to the surface - but who will survive? The Genesis Team and Angel Army know they could very well face a watery grave next time in:  
  
SWORDS GALORE_

And, coming soon . . . Neo Genesis, Chapters 3 and 4!

Well, hope you all liked the chapter. Also Neo Genesis Chapters 1 and 2 are up, a revision of the first two chapters of the story. I must again apologize for the lateness of this chapter, but it was partly because I was so busy and I never found time to do it and it's the second-longest chapter! Seven months, though, is really unacceptable, so I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. As always, please review and if you have any questions about the story or things that need covering up, be sure to e-mail me! Thank you.


	32. Days of Waiting

_I'm very sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I was in a coma for almost a year. When I came out I could hardly remember anything, and it took me a while to get back to writing. My first attempts were barely coherent ("In the Dust of the Moon") but after a few months of practice I'm back on my feet. It's been a while since I wrote this, so I might confuse some names or forget to write something down here._

_Seriously, now - several things forced me to stop writing two years ago. One was the frustration of not having time to get any real published work, and the other was the waning popularity of Digimon itself. However, things are looking up, and to my surprise, the community hasn't died - and with Season 5 on the way, Digimon could be set for a comeback. And I am too!_

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokémon._

**DIGIMON GENESIS  
CHAPTER XXXII**

**DAYS OF WAITING**

"Such a brilliant evening for a crowning ceremony!" said Wizardmon, raising his goblet to his lips. "No, there hasn't been a finer night for the Elder's coronation."

The Genesis Team, along with Wizardmon and Witchmon, were gathered around at a table in the public square, watching the parade. The soon-to-be-crowned Elder, Jijimon, sat on top of a large float, surveying the cheering crowds in the well-lit town, holding up his cane with a jubilant expression on his ancient face.

"I just wish Reina could be here," said Yuka.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine," said Wizardmon, but he frowned slightly. Evidently he did not wish to be reminded of Reina's inability to attend - she was sick in the digital hospital, being treated for poison that had been given her at the Guardians' death camp. And though her condition had been improving greatly over the past week, Takumi could not help but feel sorry for her. A coronation did not happen every day.

Takumi tried to keep his mind off this and kept his eyes on the wonderful parade. There were hundreds of Digimon dancing and singing and praising the Elder, and confetti covered the streets. Everyone ate and drank merrily and chattered excitedly, waving wildly when the Elder's float came their way.

Jijimon at least looked like an Elder. He was extremely old-looking and had a beard that almost touched the floor. He carried a staff in one arm, the end of which looked like a paw. The beard obscured his facial expression, and it was difficult to see whether or not he was having a good time, though he waved at the crowd from time to time.

"The Elder's always the oldest in the city, right?" asked Shun.

"Yes, that's correct," said Wizardmon. "The oldest, the wisest - that's how it was in the old days. It was generally believed that the oldest and most experienced should lead the rest."  
"What if someone is the oldest in the city, but doesn't want to run it?" asked Ryota.

Wizardmon shrugged. "That's just too bad. They have to. Some Elders have gotten so preoccupied with their duties that they just died before their coronation, not wanting to bother. But the Eldership is a very coveted position. Long before there were accurate documents, there would be fights if there was a dispute over the oldest Digimon. I'm glad that it's not that way now."

"How much authority does an Elder really have?" asked Shun. "Isn't the King the one who is in control of everything?"  
"Yes, unfortunately," said Jijimon. "Years and years after the Ancient ones established the first cities, they were very hostile to each other. There would be fights over trade and alliances and war."  
"Finally, after the War Between the Types, it was decided that a Council composed of a respected citizen from each city appointed by the Elder of those cities would rule over all the cities in order to settle arguments and put a stop to war. Later the Council unanimously elected a leader from one of the cities, one who would make final approval over the Council's plans. As time went by, the cities grew closer, and more people wanted a King rather than a Council. And so the monarchy originated, and it was passed down from son to son, until King Piedmon's death almost ten years ago, when Daemon came to the throne."

"The powers of the King are growing greater by day, and the Elders are losing power as time goes on. This is a great risk for us - to be holding a coronation in the middle of the public square, for an Elder independent of Daemon. I would not be surprised if someone tried to crash this little party."

"Oh, lighten up, Wizardmon," said Witchmon. "The gates to the city are sealed, and the only way into the city other than that is through the sea. And thanks to our new army, our beaches are quite safe."

"Still," said Wizardmon, "though I don't think anything will happen, I wonder who arranged this? Daemon has no doubt heard of the government's overthrow in Midgard City and will be sending reinforcements any time now."

Takumi sighed: he wished that Wizardmon would be quiet. This was the first time in ages in the Digital World that they had a chance to enjoy themselves, why did he have to ruin it by worrying? And yet there was a part of him that agreed with Wizardmon. This was not a time to be having a victory celebration. If anything, it was a time to be preparing for battle. They had chosen to overthrow the government. They could have decided to stay in comfort in Wizardmon and Witchmon's home for an indefinite period of time. But if they were the saviors, then they had a destiny to attend to. There was no choice. He hoped that by enjoying a coronation, they weren't shirking their duties.

"You look like something's on your mind, Takumi," said Witchmon, and everyone at the table stared at him. "What's the matter?"  
"Nothing," Takumi lied.

"How about you have yourself some baterace?" Witchmon offered, holding up a goblet.

"Some what?"  
"Baterace. It helps you keep your mind on what's going on in real-time."  
"Sure," said Takumi, who drank it slowly. It tasted like bitter cherry juice, and it was so thick that he had to practically chew it.

Some Floramon danced around nearby, throwing little flowers everywhere and playing around with their friends.

"They don't even seem to be aware that they're seeing something historic," said Wizardmon fondly. "Ah, to be a child again!"

Takumi had a strange feeling come over him as he watched the Floramon dancing, and then he was reminded that they were depending on them to free them from Daemon, that they couldn't just back out of this. It was their responsibility, and if they failed, then so be it . . .

The Team followed the other Digimon down the street, with Jijimon's carriage leading them. Many different Digimon threw confetti and cheered as the new Elder came down the street, waving generously and throwing pieces of chocolate candy at the young ones.

"Where are we going?" Ryota asked, who was out of breath even though they were traveling at a slow rate.

"We're going to the town square," Wizardmon explained. "That's where the coronation ceremony will be held. Come along now!"

The Elder's carriage sped up, leaving the humans and Wizardmon and Witchmon behind.

"Come on!" said Witchmon. "I have a better way!"

And then they all locked arms and used the teleportation method they had been introduced to just a few days ago - thinking long and hard about their destination, and then jumping. They were in a completely different place, the town square, in just a couple of seconds.

"Wow!" said Shun. He had only done this once before, and they all felt a little dizzy at their sudden arrival.

They were sitting in six comfortable chairs in the middle of the public square. Just in front of them was a podium. They had front row seats to the Elder's coronation!

"Wow," said Takumi.

"Hey look, it's Piddomon!" said Yuka, pointing excitedly at the angel Digimon.

"Hello, hello, humans!" said Piddomon, who was sitting at the row just behind them. "When - when did you get here?"

Yuka laughed and without saying anything pointed at Witchmon and Wizardmon.

"Oh, I see," said Piddomon, who seemed bitter that he did not have the powers of teleportation. "So! Are you enjoying the ceremony? I bet you've never been to an Elder's coronation before. Of course, this is the second one we've had in this city in three months. You'd think we'd be tired of it, but no! Us Digimon love festivities." He raised a goblet of juice to his lips.

"Yeah, we're having a good time," said Shun. "When is the Elder going to be here?"  
But a blast of trumpets answered his question. The Genesis Team whipped around and saw the Elder's carriage being pulled into the town square. Crowds of young Digimon danced around him, making the new Elder smile.

"I couldn't be more excited that Jijimon is going to be the Elder," said Piddomon. "He is a very capable Digimon and will make an excellent leader."

"Oh yes," Wizardmon agreed. "He looks like he couldn't harm a fly, but trust me, saviors, you don't want to pick a fight with him!"

Takumi observed the ancient Digimon. With his long beard and his old, worn clothing, he didn't look like he could do much of anything - at least the last Elder, Vikemon, had looked tough.

"I guess it just goes to show that looks can be deceiving," said Shun.

"You are certainly right about that, boy!"

It was only then that they noticed MetalMamemon was sitting next to Piddomon. He was so short that he needed to stand up on his tiptoes for them to see him.

"Especially with you," said Ryota. "You're a tiny Digimon, and you don't look like you can do anything, but -"  
"EXCUSE ME?" said MetalMamemon. "What was that, boy? Now I _know _you didn't just say -"

"So, how's organizing the army going?" asked Yuka. She talked so little that it was easy to see that she was only trying to change the subject.

"The army? Oh - good. Of course some Digimon don't see the point. Midgard is liberated, they say, why create an army? Well, I tell them, Daemon is still out there, and as long as he's there he'll make sure that this city goes back under his control. We're in a bit of a patriotic fervor now, so it's quite easy to coerce them into joining. We've got Digimon of all sorts in the army, and we're getting lots of supplies for weapons from Civil City."

"Civil City?" said Takumi.

"Yes. Oh, and we sent a message to the Elder there, SaberLeomon. We told him that you were here in Midgard City, safe and sound, and that you had helped defeat the Digital Police here. He said he was simply delighted and now he _knew_ you were the saviors, and he was just so relieved that you made it out of the Guardians' camp, he was worried that he would never hear from you again."  
"Good!" said Takumi, and thinking of SaberLeomon receiving the message and being 'delighted' brought a smile to his face.

"He also says that he plans on working with Jijimon and even says that some citizens of Civil want to have an army of their own."  
"Great news!" said Wizardmon. "If we're ever to get Daemon out of power, we need us two friendly cities to work together."

MetalMamemon then looked grave. "But there is one thing that I am concerned about . . ."

"Shh!" said Witchmon. "Whatever it is I'm sure can wait! But let's enjoy this right now! Look, here he comes!"  
The humans turned to watch Jijimon as he descended down the carriage off a ramp.

Digimon now from all over town were gathered. Takumi reckoned that there must have been a thousand of them, all sitting in silence as Jijimon was led down the aisle by several aides.

At Jijimon's rear was a frog like Digimon with a horn on his shoulder, resembling a gecko. He was carrying, on a pillow, a crown, the same one that they had seen on Vikemon's head just a few days ago.

The throng of Digimon came up on stage, Jijimon at center, as the audience watched the historic moment.

Gekomon was muttering something, though Takumi could not understand it.

"Muzl muzl muzl wub," he seemed to say. It took a long time before he realized that he was speaking in a completely different language.

"That's Digimon language," Wizardmon explained. "It's been dead for centuries, but it's still used for these very formal ceremonies. If everyone would just keep quiet then maybe I could hear what he's saying . . ."

Takumi could not understand anything the Gekomon was saying, except for a mention of Vikemon.

"Watch closely, now," said Witchmon, and they all kept alert. "They're going to crown him in just a moment."

But there was no time for that. The ceremony was rudely interrupted by the sounds of screams off in the distance. The screams were so loud that even the noise of the crowd watching the proceedings was drowned out, and everyone turned to look at the offenders. The Gekomon who was presiding over the ceremony looked shocked and extremely offended. As usual it was hard to see how Jijimon felt, but Takumi sensed that he was concerned.

"What's the reason for all this noise?" shouted a big Digimon who was in the crowd and obviously quite angry at the coronation being disturbed.

"Dead! Dead!" shouted the Digimon. There were three of them, fish Digimon.

"Who are they?" Shun asked Wizardmon.

"I don't know," came the reply; "but they're Coelamon, sea-faring Digimon. What they are doing over here I haven't the faintest idea . . ."

"Dead! Dead!" the Coelamon all shouted hysterically, and one of them was crying. Takumi had never seen looks of such fear on their faces.

"Arrest them!" shouted one Digimon, who stood up and pointed at them. "They're disturbing the peace!"  
"Silence!" said an ancient voice.

Everyone turned to see Jijimon, who had his staff held out in front of them.

"Let them speak!" he commanded. "Though not crowned yet, I am still the Elder of this town, and I say let's hear what they have to say!"

There was silence. It took a few seconds for the frightened Coelamon to gain enough confidence to talk to someone as important as the Elder.

"Do not be afraid," said Jijimon. "Whatever you have to say, please say it."  
Finally one of the Coelamon stopped crying and said, "There's been an attack - an attack - on the beach!"

There came gasps from the crowd, then a hushed silence.

"An attack?" said Jijimon. "What happened?"  
"We - us three were playing on the beach with some of our friends, and then two of them were deleted!"  
"Deleted?" said Jijimon. Looking down into the crowd, he said, "MetalMamemon . . . Round up everyone in the army and patrol the beach! Make sure that alien comes from out of the sea! Who's the Chief of Police? Ah yes, Dobermon, I want an official investigation into this matter! Find out what killed them! Everyone else . . . I'm afraid that we're going to have to stop this ceremony."  
"But the crown!" cried the Gekomon.

"The crown can wait," said Jijimon. "I am still the Elder, with or without it. It can wait. Right now the safety of the townsfolk is my chief concern."

The Digimon started scattering before the Elder had even finished.

"Wait . . . Does that mean that MarineDevimon's forces might be invading, right now?" asked a stunned Shun.

"Perhaps," said Wizardmon.

"Everyone back to your homes!" shouted Jijimon over the noise of the crowd. "Everyone who's not in the army, get back inside, quickly!"

Takumi rose from his chair and saw Wizardmon and Piddomon disappearing behind MetalMamemon, who was rushing through the town square and in the direction of the beach.

"Where are they going?" Takumi asked.

"Wizardmon's in the army," explained Witchmon. "All right now, kids, just like last time . . ."

And Takumi, Ryota, Shun, and Yuka all held hands with the witch Digimon and once again were teleported in a matter of seconds back to Witchmon's home.

When they got there, Takumi collapsed on the comfortable couch in the family room beside Ryota.

"I feel dizzy," Ryota said, holding his forehead.

"Don't worry about it," said Witchmon. "Everyone feels that way when they've been teleported too often. Here, let me make sure all the doors are locked and I'll get you a drink."

"But if MarineDevimon's forces are here, then how will locking doors do any good?" Shun asked.

"It may make all the difference in the world," said Witchmon vaguely, disappearing into the kitchen.

In the front room, the mood of the team was downcast.

"And I was having such a good time too," said Yuka.

Takumi had been having a good time too, but he had a strange feeling that he had forgotten something, which was probably not unusual after teleportation. And then he remembered.

"Reina!" he shouted, just as Witchmon came back in the room with drinks. "What's going to happen with her?"  
"Don't worry about it," the witch Digimon told him, giving him some hot chocolate. "I'm sure the authorities in the hospital will be sure to have all the doors locked. Don't worry, the hospital is one of the safest places in the city."

Witchmon found a seat in a large chair at the end of the room and sighed. Rather than being alarmed by the attack on the beach, she seemed tired, like it had been a long day and she was relieved to finally be home.

"So, what happened?" said Ryota. "Do they really know?"  
"Oh, I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," said Witchmon. "But I'm pretty sure this is the work of MarineDevimon."  
"MarineDevimon himself?" said Shun.

"No, of course not," said Witchmon. "MarineDevimon is one of Daemon's closest advisors and is far too busy to just target random Digimon on the beach. No, this is the work of his troops . . . But he was the one who ordered the attack, as sure as you're born."

"Do you think Daemon's going to try to get the Digital Police back in here?" asked Shun.

"Perhaps," came the reply.

But Takumi wasn't sure if this was the case. He remembered, just a few days ago, when they had overthrown the police, MarineDevimon had sent them a message.

"_Now, you all seem to be under the impression that I'm going to 'go after you'_," he had said, '"_But you're the one with the powerful army. Why don't you come after _me?"'

Something told Takumi that MarineDevimon was not one who would violate this agreement. He was egging them on, wanting them to fight him. Perhaps he was just impatient, and killed the Coelamon at the beach just to remind them that he was still waiting in the depths of the sea . . .

When he told this to the group, he was not greeted with their usual shooting down of his theories. In fact they all seemed to agree that MarineDevimon was trying to get them to fight him.

"But if he _wants _us to fight him," said Ryota, a quiver in his tone, "then what does that mean?"

"He's got to be a really powerful Digimon," said Yuka. "After all he is one of Daemon's lieutenants."

"I have a feeling that even with an army, he'll be hard to beat," said Shun. "Are we - are we even prepared to fight him?"

"We've got no choice," said Takumi. "If we want to beat Daemon, then we'll have to go through his lieutenants."  
"That's right," said Witchmon. "To get into Daemon's Palace you need three Entrance Cards. Each official has one Entrance Card. And MarineDevimon is one of the officials."  
"So either we defeat MarineDevimon . . ." began Takumi.

". . . or Daemon will rule here forever," finished Ryota.

Shun stood up out of his chair. "Well, I don't know about you all, but we've got to kill Daemon some time."

"Then let's quit waiting and go get him," said Ryota. "We're going to have to defeat MarineDevimon some time, and even if we fail, we'll at least have tried."

Witchmon grinned. "Sounds good to me," she said. "But you'd better speak to MetalMamemon and the Elder about that. They're the ones in charge of the army, and if they're not ready, then you can't go either."  
"You mean we can't defeat him alone?"  
"Of course not!" said Witchmon. "MarineDevimon is a very powerful Digimon! Also, he'll have his whole army fight you first! You four against hundreds of Digimon, you'll all be killed!"

Takumi sighed into his chair. For the first time it occurred to him that they might not make it - there was always a chance that the prophecy that foretold their coming into the Digital World was wrong, or perhaps it didn't even refer to them at all. This thought made his stomach churn, because it meant that nothing was certain. Perhaps they had come to the Digital World only to be wiped from it by a sinister hand just weeks later.

His thoughts were interrupted by a rapping noise on the door.

"Is it Wizardmon?" asked Ryota hopefully. They all looked at the door in panic, they were expecting MarineDevimon's forces to come in at any moment.

"Perhaps it's MarineDevimon!" said Shun, voicing everyone's fear.

"Would MarineDevimon himself march up to our door and politely knock?" asked Witchmon rhetorically. "I think not." And without hesitation she opened the door.

Takumi almost jumped, whatever was waiting outside flew in the room so quickly that all he could see was a multi-colored blur. He was immensely relieved to see that it was not MarineDevimon or his troops, but a ToyAgumon, a Digimon messenger.

"See?" said Witchmon, closing the door with satisfaction. "Simply a ToyAgumon. Well, let's hear it."  
A simulation appeared directly above the lego Digimon's head, like a television projection. Wizardmon appeared in the simulation. His expression was concealed by his cape, but it seemed to Takumi like one of impatience.

"Witchmon!" said the Wizardmon in the projector. "Tell those four to get down to the beach at once! We've been looking all over for them, when we were told that they went home with you! Now why would they do that?"  
"But I thought only the army had to go down to the beach," said Takumi. "Are we part of the army?"  
"Shh!" said Ryota, and for the second time Takumi was once again reminded that Wizardmon was not actually talking to them in real time.

"MetalMamemon wants you here near Dock B in twenty minutes," said Wizardmon. "It's front of the old Digimon Hotel, they'll know it. I'll have lit a fire so that they can find me."  
"Terrific," said Witchmon, as the projection disappeared inside the ToyAgumon.

"In front of the Digimon Hotel?" said Shun, standing up from his comfortable reclining chair. "Where's that at?"  
"Just up to the end of the road down there, and then take a right," Witchmon instructed. "You can't miss it."

"How about we teleport there?" Shun suggested.

"How about not?" said Witchmon. "You need the exercise, and I'm all tuckered out. AAH! What are you doing?"  
She noticed that the ToyAgumon was nibbling on her foot.

"Oh yes, you want me to pay you," said the witch Digimon, and she grabbed some coins from her pocket and gave it to the lego Digimon, who disappeared out the door in a flash.

"Those messengers are getting more and more impatient every day," Witchmon sighed, and she sat down in a chair and laid back as if to take a nap.

The news that they would not be teleporting to the beach annoyed Takumi slightly, but it served to remind him that you couldn't always live in luxury. "Come on, then," he told the others, and after saying good-bye to Witchmon they headed out the door into the night.

It was a cold and windy night, certainly not one that should be spent in any other way besides in a warm bed with a warm cup of hot chocolate and a newly-purchased book. As soon as he stepped out into the road, Takumi felt homesick - not for his own home, but for Witchmon's home, and he longed to sleep on that couch in front of the fire again. But duly called. How he wished his heart was devoted to struggle, and not to comfort!

"Let's all transform," he told them. "I have a feeling we'll get there a lot faster that way."  
"Transform . . . HIAMON! Transform . . . KIBAMON! Transform . . . MEKANORIMON! Transform . . . MIKEMON!"

And so it was done. The humans were surrounded in a blinding light, then darkness settled on their Digimon forms. Takumi was now a monstrous dragon, and he felt his body temperature rise as smoke came from his nostrils. Ryota was now Kibamon, a snow leopard Digimon, suited to prowling the streets at night. Yuka had become Mikemon, a small cat Digimon who could move at fast speeds. Shun had transformed into Mekanorimon, who had the ability to fly. Mikemon jumped on Mekanorimon's back and Takumi, as Hiamon, watched as they floated overhead in the distance of the hotel. It was agreed that Kibamon would ride on the dragon's back, and off they went to the beach.

Witchmon was right: there was no missing the hotel at the end of the street. Written in big letters were the words, "Midgard Hotel," overlooking the beach. The temperature was made even cooler by the sea air as they approached the beach, and the sound of its waves breaking on the shore reminded Takumi of home, and for a fleeting instant he was reminded of his one dream: to get back to his own world. _To do that we need to defeat Daemon,_ he thought to himself.

Wizardmon's fire was easy to spot, Hiamon and the others circled it, then swooped down and made a gentle landing on the beach.

The wizard Digimon looked tired and sleepy. He was not alone - MetalMamemon was with him, and he looked stern and angry.

"Now what were you all thinking?" he demanded. Though he was much smaller than all of them, he had a commanding presence. "Don't you know that you're all in the army?"  
"Well, not really," admitted Shun, as Mekanorimon. "Nobody told _us."_

"Well, I thought you all would have known!" said MetalMamemon. "After all, you're the only humans out there - and you're the saviors, too! Who else is more qualified to be in our army?"

"Didn't really think of it that way," said Hiamon. "So what did you call us down here for?"

It turned out to be a long night. MetalMamemon had called them down to patrol the city.

"Why not just the beaches?" asked Kibamon.

"We could have intruders," MetalMamemon warned, "so it's good to have eyes all over the city."  
And so they wandered around for several hours. There were no intruders, and no suspicious activity to report. The city was very well-lit, with every Digimon scared of invaders.

"I thought that since we were the saviors, we would be exempt from this kind of work," Kibamon grumbled.

"We're not the saviors yet," warned Hiamon.

About three hours passed, and by then it was way past Takumi's normal bedtime. A ToyAgumon sent by MetalMamemon informed them that they were being relieved of their duty, and that they could do whatever they want unless he requested them again. He told them that he would see them in the morning, for he had something he wanted to talk to them about. Takumi was too tired to be curious, and he and the others retired well past the late hour. He fell into a deep sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

When he woke up several hours later in the room that Witchmon and Wizardmon had lent to him, Takumi felt far from refreshed. In fact, he seemed more tired than ever, and for a second wondered if he had gotten any sleep at all. He looked around for an alarm clock when he realized that he was in the Digital World, and they didn't seem to have such things there.

"Are you asleep?" he asked Ryota, who was in the bed next to him.

He was greeted by being smothered with a pillow. Takumi tried hard not to suffocate and threw Ryota off him.

"Ah, idiot!" he said, grabbing the pillow and throwing at him.

"Yes, Takumi, I'm asleep," said Ryota sarcastically.

Then they agreed that it was time to wake up Shun, who was sleeping soundly in the third bed in spite of their loud pillow-fight. A simple throwing of the pillow to the older boy's head quickly recruited him to the game, where his bigger size came into use by flattening both Takumi and Ryota and pinning them up against the wall.

"Ow, ow, you're crushing my pancreas," Takumi said, and they all laughed.

"Glad to see that you're up and awake," said Witchmon, who they had not noticed was standing at the door. "Your breakfast is getting cold. You'd better get dressed and come in and eat, and then MetalMamemon wants to see you."

"MetalMamemon?" said Ryota. "What's he want to see us for?"  
"I haven't the foggiest idea," grumbled Witchmon, "but you better come quick. He's shocked that I allowed you to sleep in, and says that if you were in his house you'd all get up at dawn. He wants to show you something."  
"I wonder what it is?" said Shun.

Witchmon shrugged. "I don't know. But you'd better come quick. I asked him to stay for breakfast while he waited, and he didn't need me to ask again. If you don't get dressed soon, he'll have eaten everything in the whole house."

They quickly got dressed. Witchmon told them to not bother making their beds and made it for them with a wave of her wand. Then they met MetalMamemon in the kitchen, who was having his third helping of eggs.

"Good morning," he greeted them gruffly. Rather than seeming pleased at their appearance, he sounded as though he would rather not talk to them. However he pulled out a newspaper and began to talk at them.

"Just look at this!" he said. "Do you see a problem with this?"  
Takumi picked up the paper and began to read the article.

"Well, it seems like a real problem," said Takumi.

MetalMamemon nodded in satisfaction. "Well, I think you know what you need to do now."  
"Clean up the sewage?" said a disgusted Takumi.

"Huh?" said MetalMamemon, snatching the paper out of Ryota's hands. "No, not that article . . . _this _article!"

Takumi stopped reading the article titled "Midgard City Sewage Problem Stinks Up Coronation Ceremony For Some" and averted his eyes to the "The Saviors . . . Or Not?" article, which seemed much more relevant.

"Oh," he said, embarrassed. Though interesting, Takumi could not see what MetalMamemon's point was in showing it to them. There was a nice photograph of them beside the article, with Takumi, Ryota, Shun, Yuka, and Reina standing together beside Piddomon.

"I don't get it," said Ryota. "What's this mean?"

"What's it _mean_?" said MetalMamemon, astonished. "What do you mean, what's it mean? It's very clear what it means!"  
Takumi was afraid to ask 'what' but did anyway.

"Look!" said MetalMamemon, as if he were talking to a two year-old. "Don't you see? A photograph, of you, in the _paper_!"

"My hair looks all messy in that photo," said Yuka, brushing the page as if she could change it.

MetalMamemon heaved a great sigh, then said, "I don't know what's gotten in to all of you. This is the Midgard City paper. This thing is being circulated all over the city, and probably to other parts of the world too, eventually. _It exposes you as humans! _Now, you wouldn't want Daemon to read this article, would you?"

"Oh . . . I guess not," said Shun, looking a little worried.

"I didn't think so," said MetalMamemon. "I hope this is a lesson to you all . . . I don't want you to be seen as humans! From now on, I want you to live as Digimon, at least out in public. You can't go parading around your human-ness. Daemon isn't popular here, but there's some who don't mind what he's done, and you've got to watch out for them. You see, humans living freely, without fear, is a huge insult to Daemon and a mockery of all he's done! Do you know how _daring _it is?"

"Well . . ." Actually Takumi hadn't thought about it very much. All this time it had just seemed natural to be a human. He had been in human-friendly cities most of the time in the Digital World. It had never occurred to him that he might be in danger at every moment.

"Daemon will stop at nothing to wipe out every human from the face of this world," said MetalMamemon. "In fact, that's why he came to power in the first place. King Piedmon tried to eradicate all the humans, but his heart wasn't in it. Daemon was angry at his inefficiency and started the Second Slaughter, and finally every human was done away with."

"Can't you see? News doesn't travel very fast in this world - ToyAgumon charge very high prices these days - but if Daemon got a hold of this paper, he would be _furious_! In fact, I'm bewildered as to why he doesn't know already. You had better be careful! From now on, you need to be in your Digimon forms - you can't allow yourself to be seen as humans, even by friendly Digimon!"

"We know," said Ryota. "We just thought . . . Since these were friendly cities . . ."  
"Midgard and Civil _are_ friendly cities!" said MetalMamemon. "But the others cities are not at all friendly to humans. If you go there in your human forms, you'd be killed instantly. So from now on - Digimon forms only!"

"But if we're only in our Digimon forms . . ." said Takumi. ". . . I mean, if evil Digimon knew we were humans, and knew what our Digimon forms are, couldn't they track us down that way? There _are _other Hiamons out there, right?"

"And Kibamon?"  
"And Mikemon?"  
"And Mekanorimon?"  
"Yes, thousands of them!" MetalMamemon said. "But how often are a Hiamon, a Kibamon, a Mikemon, and a Mekanorimon always seen traveling together?"  
"That's right," admitted Ryota, sounding defeated. He took a seat down and rubbed his forehead.

"In the worst-case scenario," said MetalMamemon, "Daemon could order a mass Digimon-slaughter of all the Hiamons, Kibamons, Mikemons, and Mekanorimons in the world. That is, if he found out about you all. And there's still hope that he hasn't yet."  
"Is there?" said Yuka, sounding frightened.

"The Elder has ordered all the copies of this paper to be shredded. And obviously, he's not letting anyone in the city - there's too high a risk that someone will get in to try and attack it. And anyone who's trying to get out of the city has to go through a scanning process and be searched. I'm going to try to convince him to not let _anyone_ leave. There's just too big a risk that Daemon will find out about this!"  
"This is serious," said Takumi. How he wished he had thought of this before! The success of just a few days ago, and he felt as though he were being trapped, and slowly the walls were closing on him and his friends.

"But what about Civil City?" said Ryota suddenly.

"What about it?" said MetalMamemon.

"We were in our human forms there too," said Ryota. "Before then, we didn't even know that being a human was such a bad thing."

"The Elder has thought of that," said MetalMamemon. "And he's sent a message over to the Elder over there. He will probably enact the searching policies, but we have no control over what he does."

"He'll help out," assured Takumi. "He's very nice, and I know he wants to make sure we're safe."  
"Well, we will see," said MetalMamemon. "It probably won't be so much of a problem there, since you didn't overthrow the government or anything. But if just one person reports this to Daemon, then you could be in grave danger!"

"Well . . . If we're the saviors, then we'll survive," said Shun, with a weak smile.

"Yes," MetalMamemon nodded, with a sigh. There was a short silence after that, and the machine Digimon began to gather his things and leave.

"This could all be futile," he said, opening the door, "but we need to do whatever we can do. Also, thank Witchmon for her delicious meal! I ought to come again tomorrow."

And he shut the door behind him, leaving the four of them to think about what he had said.

Takumi sighed. The situation seemed to grow more depressing as every hour passed, and for a while they talked amongst themselves of how badly they wanted Daemon defeated and wondered how they ever got into this in the first place.

Witchmon came into the room a minute later, looking around the kitchen, disgusted at the mess MetalMamemon had left. "Eggs everywhere," she muttered to herself, wiping them off the table and onto the floor with a rag.

"Where's Wizardmon at?" said Takumi. He loved all these Digimon, but he respected Wizardmon the most. He seemed to be one you could confide in, one who seemed to always know what was going on.

"He's in bed right now," Witchmon told him. "He needs to be, that's all I can say. Keeping him up all night like that! What was he thinking?"

Takumi sighed. For the first time since they arrived, they seemed to be just wandering around, not having any real purpose. When they came to the city, they felt like they were leading a crusade. Now they were following along, waiting for MetalMamemon to decide when they should go and attack.

It would be many hours before Wizardmon would awake, and during that time Takumi went out (making sure to go as Hiamon) and went down to the Digital Hospital to see Reina, who was doing much better.

"She should be up and about and as good as new by sometime tomorrow," the Angewomon nurse informed him.

She did seem to be doing better. When Takumi came to her, she greeted him in her usual smile.

"I'm so glad that I'm not sick anymore," said Reina.

"I'm so glad you're not _dead,_" said Takumi, and with that he told her the events of the past few days, most of which she had already learned from the Midgard Chronicle, which she read every day. She was surprised when he told her how MetalMamemon wanted all the papers with their photograph in it shredded.

"Well, I guess they have to," said Reina. She seemed resigned to the fact that Daemon may already know about their existence, and said that if they were the saviors, then they didn't need to worry.

"Yeah," said Takumi, though he wasn't so sure. It was a comforting thought, but it raised all sorts of questions. Say if Takumi killed himself right then. Would that mean that he wasn't one of the saviors after all? Well, obviously it meant that he wasn't. But what if he _couldn't_ kill himself? What if the ultimate fate of Daemon couldn't be avoided? If so, then they should just sit around and do nothing, for somehow, they would come to defeat Daemon, even if they sat on a couch all day.

But perhaps if you knew about the prophecy beforehand, it wouldn't come to pass. Perhaps if they intentionally avoided fulfilling the prophecy, it wouldn't be fulfilled because since they weren't trying to fulfill it then obviously they couldn't be the ones _to _fulfill it.

It was all very confusing, and as he dragged himself home he longed to know the original words of the prophecy, longed to speak to some Digimon who could understand him.

When he got back to Witchmon's house, he was disappointed to find that Wizardmon was still not awake. Dinner was not yet ready and would not be ready for nearly an hour, so Takumi tried to rest his eyes on the couch. He lolled off into blissful sleep for a number of minutes, but quickly awoke. He tried to fall asleep again, but failed. After a few minutes of just lying there, he got up and looked around for something to do. He sighed, wondering if he could ever imagine before being bored in the Digital World.

The only thing that caught his eye was a newspaper that he had been staring at for some time. Then he realized that it was not just any newspaper, it was the newspaper that MetalMamemon had shown them.

"I thought he wanted all these shredded?" he said aloud. "Oops."

He unfolded the front page and read the headline: "CORONATION CEREMONY INTERRUPTED IN PANIC", a Midgard Chronicle Exclusive detailing what everybody was doing on that night and some guesses on what happened.

"_We were having such a great time," one shocked-looking Digimon said. "I can't believe that something like this would happen on the night of his coronation. Unbelievable."_

There was also a story on the two "victim" Coelamon, though it could not confirm yet how exactly they had been attacked.

Beneath the story on sewage was the story on the saviors, titled "Saviors . . . Or Not?", the one that most interested him, because it was about them:

_They came from another world and helped save this city from tyrants. Many happy Midgardians are proud about the fact that there town is hosting the saviors. But are they the saviors? In this story our Digi-Reporter Birdramon investigates past claims of saviors, what exactly the saviors are supposed to do, and why they are so important to us - and yet so mysterious._

"_Digimon have always looked to prophecy as a source of comfort and inspiration for helping to solve the problems of the modern world. No book of prophecy is more important to traditional Digimon as is The Book of the Ancients, claimed to be written almost 2,000 years ago by the ancients themselves. After creating the first civilization in the Digital World (now Civil City), the ancients allegedly wrote a book of proverbs for their posterity to take to heart, hoping it would come to the aid of their offspring in days of trouble. While the book is generally agreed to be the work of the ancients, one chapter, the most controversial in the entire book, has been facing a flurry of controversy for years and years and years."_

"_The chapter, called "Key to the Times Beyond", was allegedly written by AncientWisemon, who was blessed with the gift of telling the future. According to those who believe in AncientWisemon's authorship of the book, he wrote them down to warn future generations. A number of interesting predictions were made:_

"_**During the reign of the Maple Tree, the great city of Balis, that island of thieves, shall be cast into the waters, and never to be seen again, each one of its inhabitants will perish, and their evil never seen again."**_

_Those who trust AncientWisemon's authorship believe that he is clearly foretelling the huge tsunami which struck in Catseye City fourteen hundred years ago, which wiped out almost the entire sea-faring peoples. The Elder of the City in that time was Panjyamon, who was said to be fond of maple trees. And:_

"_**Alien creatures have come. Those who do not belong here steal my food and take away my clothes. When will this suffering end? Can a Whamon live on land? Can a Leomon come into the sea and not expect to drown?"**_

_Proponents of the prophecy says that this is a stunningly accurate prediction of the humans' arrival in the Digital World, almost 1600 years after this prophecy was made. Those who doubt the accuracy of the prophecy point out that it is written in the past tense, and stealing food and taking away clothes are not things that are strictly human in nature. Also in the ancient times the most common view was that this was not meant to be a prophecy._

_But even detractors admit that some of the author's predictions are not entirely a shot in the dark. The following is one of the most vivid images in the whole book:_

"_**There are two camps. They look for peace, but find nothing: war shall divide them. One of the camps wears red, the other wears yellow. Their hatred for each other knows no end, and they will oppose each other for ever and ever. Those who survive their fierce some war will be sick and will gag at the sight of their fallen bodies. "Let us have peace!" they will say, and their homelands shall be allies, and they shall no longer throw swords at each other."**_

_The prophecy, in retrospect, is very similar to the War Between the Types. The vaccine types wore red, the viruses wore yellow. After years and years of war, a truce was agreed, and the cities were united in a Council, the ultimate purpose being to prevent war._

_The most famous prophecy in the whole book is the prophecy of the saviors, for it is one that does not seem to be fulfilled yet:_

_**There shall be a time of great darkness in the world. The light of the Digital World shall have completely gone out. Evil doctrines and ideas will creep among the living and possess them. There shall be famine, war, hunger, and strife. Digimon everywhere will wish for death, for their world of perfection has been corrupted by evil.**_

_**But for those struggling in those times, I say: Do not lose hope! For in your midst is a saving force, with power greater than the twelve - the power that belong to creatures not of this world who can become like us in appearance and form. With this power, evil shall be defeated and return the world to its greatness and splendor, and light shall shine once again, grass will grow and there shall be feasts and laughter and joy.**_

_The prophecy would be the vaguest in the entire book, if not for one detail: the description of part-Digimon, part-otherworldly creatures. _

_Interestingly, the precise language of this passage - written in ancient Digimon language over 2,000 years ago, does not indicate the number of "saviors" there are, only a "saving force", meaning that the "saviors" can mean either one person or many people. It has been hypothesized that the power to transform shall be given to all Digimon one day, and the prophecy fulfilled in that manner._

_But whether there is one savior or many saviors, the book is clear that only creatures from another world who can become Digimon are candidates. Such creatures are obviously quite rare, if not legendary, though there have been reports of these creatures over the centuries:_

_In the ancient times, it was believed that an ancient race existed in the Digital World, called the Nerebim, who were said to be giants. They were said to be able to interbreed with the Digimon, but eventually this race was wiped out through constant Digimon attacks, and some experts now doubt that the Nerebim ever existed._

_Years after the first humans arrived in the Digital World, it was common knowledge that attempts to breed Digimon with humans would fail, but two hundred years after their arrival, there was said to be a clan of beings, some having both human and Digimon features - the offspring of a Digimon and a human match._

_The clan eventually died out, and some believe that it was a hoax. This was during the reign of King Digitamamon, who was known for his high taxation policies, which some claimed was the "great evil" referred to in the prophecy._

_In the early part of this century, a cult group dedicated themselves to training themselves "in the way of the Digimon" with the ultimate hope that they would all be able to turn into Digimon, stop hatred, and defeat evil eventually. The cult failed miserably when most of them committed suicide, and afterward these attempts to become like Digimon were frowned upon by other humans, especially human rights activists._

_It was hoped that with the advent of DNA splicing just a few years ago, that humans could slowly begin to change into the form of Digimon. However the science is still in its primitive stages and there are no humans left to practice it on._

_The case of the digital human with perhaps the most evidence occurred in Civil City almost seventeen years ago, when a young boy was said to have the power to become a Digimon. At the time, local newspapers predicted the boy would have a great impact on the future of the Digital World. The boy, who went under the name Smith, was said to be very sensitive about his "gift" which he found a curse. He found a hard time being accepted in both the Digimon and human camps and lived his life as an outcast._

"_I wish people would just treat me normally," he was quoted as saying, "not like some freak."_

_The great future that the local newspapers of Civil City had so rosily predicted obviously did not come to pass; and the boy was reported dead after the First Slaughter._

_So are these new arrivals the saviors, or not? History tells us that we must be cautious - things are not always as they seem, and putting too much faith in these humans could prove disastrous. But for now, here's to the saving force of the Digital World - whenever it may come._

After he finished reading it, Takumi placed the article down on the table. Although his finds were disappointing, the paper seemed to clear things up remarkably. He didn't have to worry about any prophecy now. The only thing he had to follow was his heart, and in his heart he knew he had to defeat Daemon. And to do that he had to go through MarineDevimon.

"Witchmon!" he called in the kitchen. "How do you summon up a ToyAgumon?"  
"Why?" she asked him. "Do you want to send a message?"

"Yes," he said. "I want to send something to MetalMamemon."  
"Well then," said Witchmon, coming into the room, wearing an apron. "If you need to send something, you'll have to clap your hands and shout 'MESSENGER!' really loud."

Takumi felt a little stupid, but clapped his hands anyway. Then he said "Messenger!" and waited.

"Louder," said Witchmon.

"MESSENGER!" Takumi screamed at the top of his lungs, nearly making Witchmon faint.

"Goodness gracious boy, not that loud!" said Witchmon. "And don't forget to clap your hands!"  
Takumi repeated the motion, but still no ToyAgumon showed up.

"Should I do it again?"  
"No, wait just a little longer. Have some patience!"

It did not take very long for a ToyAgumon to come rapping at the door. A somewhat startled Takumi answered it and allowed the lego Digimon inside. It made itself at home on the carpet and looked up at the boy, waiting for his message.

"What do I do now?" Takumi asked Witchmon.

"Simply stand in front of him and give him the name of the Digimon you want to send the message to. Then start talking. It costs about 350 bits per minute, so keep your talking to a minimum."  
"Don't worry," Takumi assured her, "I'll be brief."

The boy took a step in front of the Digimon and began speaking.

"Uh . . . Send this to MetalMamemon," Takumi said.

The lego Digimon started beeping.

"What's that mean?" Takumi asked.

"He's just memorizing it," said Witchmon. "Don't worry about it. Goodness! I'm so rude. I shouldn't be listening in on people's messages. But when you're done, just say, "Done" and he'll be off." And she left for the kitchen.

Takumi stood awkwardly in front of the ToyAgumon and tried to pretend it was MetalMamemon.

"MetalMamemon! I'm tired of waiting. I'm ready to go after MarineDevimon. We have a strong enough army to do it. Tomorrow Reina will be ready to fight with us. Please reply soon, because it's boring around here and I'm sick of MarineDevimon being alive."

Takumi stood there for a moment, waiting for the ToyAgumon to finish recording his message.

"Oh yeah - done."

And the ToyAgumon charged up and flew out the door just as quickly as it had entered it.

_Next time on Digimon Genesis!_

_It's up to the human-Digimon to defeat MarineDevimon in his underwater base! Can they do it? Find out on the next Digimon Genesis!_

As always, please read and review. I'll need them.


	33. Under the Sea

_Previously on Digimon Genesis, the anticipated saviors prepared for battle. At long last, MetalMamemon came to Takumi with the news that the battle against MarineDevimon would finally be overtaken. Will the children and the Digimon Army be able to defeat Dark Lord MarineDevimon, or will the revolution be crushed in its womb? Find out … next!_

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon. And to tell you the truth, I'm not sure if anyone does …

**DIGIMON GENESIS**

**CHAPTER XXXIII **

**UNDER THE SEA**

Takumi awoke, startled, with that feeling of unfamiliarity that captured him every morning. He was in Wizardmon's house, sleeping in the same room with Ryota. He still hadn't gotten used to it. To his surprise, he was up and out of bed in a heartbeat. He was up and ready to go, with a sort of energy that he had not experienced for some time. He knew what the energy was - a burning desire for war.

Coming into the kitchen, Takumi found that breakfast had already been prepared for them, even as Witchmon and Wizardmon still slept. It must have been some form of magic - but it didn't matter. What did matter was that there was toast and coffee. He sat down at the little table, biting into the crunchy toast. MarineDevimon, he thought, thinking about what a devil he was.

He had not halfway finished his toast when there was a clamor at the door, the sound of a brisk tapping, as if something was urgent. Concerned, Takumi tossed his plate aside and ran to the entrance, where the culprit was none other than a ToyAgumon. There was once a time when he would have been suspicious at the arrival of such a strange Digimon, but after he had learned that they served as mail carriers, they could not have been more welcome.

"Come in, come in!" said Takumi, opening the door and showing the rookie Digimon through. He wasn't quite sure he could be understood, but it seemed polite anyway. As soon as the Digimon got situated, it began to address Takumi.

"Message for Takumi Hito!" said the Digimon.

"Here!" said Takumi. "Who is it from?"

The answer appeared above the ToyAgumon's head, where a hologram was being displayed, the image being none other than MetalMamemon. Takumi's heart picked up, he had been expecting a message from him for some time.

"Takumi," said the hologram of MetalMamemon. Though it was not in real time, it seemed like it. "I have news you will like."

"What?" said Takumi.

"We're ready for war," said MetalMamemon. "More than ready. The number of volunteers exceeded our wildest dreams. Our first mission is to take down MarineDevimon."

"Good!" said Takumi. "It's just what he deserves."

"The only thing we have to worry about is secrecy," said the armored Digimon. "If word leaks that there's going to be an uprising, then our little rebellion will be squashed - and we'll all be dead."

"Well, someone's got to learn eventually," said Takumi.

"Yes," said MetalMamemon, "but we need to keep this under wraps as long as possible - not only to save our own skins, but to make sure the enemy doesn't make preparations."

"Right," said Takumi. "Uhh … just asking. But … isn't MarineDevimon, like … underwater?"

MetalMamemon nodded.

"Then … how are we supposed to battle him? It's not like we can just drag him out to have a battle on land."

"No," said the Digimon, "though that would be ideal. I know what you're thinking, Takumi. But we have plenty of sea Digimon in our arsenal. Plus, we have DigiBubbles."

"DigiBubbles?" said Takumi.

"I suppose the concept is new to you," said MetalMamemon. "Not surprising. But the DigiBubbles will allow us to breathe underwater without any difficulty."

"But will we be able to fight him while we're in the bubbles?" asked Takumi.

"No," said the Digimon, "but if we're able to make it to his palace, we won't have a problem. You see, MarineDevimon's palace itself is contained within a giant DigiBubble. This allows visitors, diplomats and the like, to visit without having to worry about air."

"That's convenient," said Takumi. "Except for the fact that it's underwater."

"Well, MarineDevimon has never been known for his openness. In fact, I think that's how he prefers life - isolated, in his underwater abode, coming out only occasionally to feed . . . I think that sense of protection will be his undoing."

"No kidding!" says Takumi.

"We'll have the element of surprise," said MetalMamemon, "but there's always a chance that word will leak out. In fact, you can bet on it. It's likely that as we get deeper into the water, he'll get wind of our plan and send out his Deep Soldiers."

"Deep Soldiers?"

"Protectors of the Net Sea. They're not usually evil Digimon, but MarineDevimon can be very persuasive. You see, it's obey MarineDevimon or die. There are certain benefits to being king of the waters."

"And MarineDevimon himself is Daemon's henchman," said Takumi.

"Right. Defeating MarineDevimon would be a great blow to him, for it would make the seas vulnerable to attack."

"Go get your friends and tell them that the time is near. No, I do not think it is very long. Today, I think, we will be ready."

"Today?" said Takumi.

"Yes," said MetalMamemon. "Now, I would like to see you all at my hut outside town. I have been immersed in training the troops, and I want you all to visit me and review our ranks. This is, after all, your army as much as it is mine."

"We'll do that!" said Takumi. "I'll go get the others. See you, MetalMamemon!"

The transmission ended; the ToyAgumon bowed and walked robotically out the open door.

Takumi was glad to find that Ryota was already up and getting dressed; it would save him the trouble of having to wake him.

"MetalMamemon wants us to meet him right now!" said Takumi.

"Huh?" said Ryota tiredly.

"You know what we're doing today, right?"

"What?"

"We've got one of Daemon's lieutenants to destroy. MarineDevimon."

The prospect of venturing into the sea raised several questions, with Takumi sharing the information that MetalMamemon had given him.

"DigiBubbles?" said Ryota. "What the hell are those?"

"I don't know myself," said Takumi. "But if what MetalMamemon is true then we'll be able to breathe underwater."

"Well that's - good," said Ryota, even though the idea of being trapped in a bubble for a period of time did not seem to appeal to him.

"Shun!" said Takumi, kicking the large mass that was covered with a blanket.

"Hmrph!" Shun mumbled. "What?"

Again MetalMamemon's demands were related; going to the girls' room, Takumi regretted that he had not got them all up to tell them all at once. It took some time for the rest of them to prepare for the day; the fact that they would soon be sea-bound did not seem to grasp them. When they were ready they informed Witchmon and Wizardmon of their plans.

"Peace to you!" said Wizardmon. "I know that whatever you are planning will succeed if you put your mind to it. You have nothing to fear - MetalMamemon is a good Digimon and a good commander. Believe me, he has been preparing for this day for his whole life. His dream - to become a great Digimon general!"

"Surely you aren't thinking of going on foot?" said Witchmon, emerging with a large plate full of cookies. "Here, each of you take one - and take my hand, too. Same procedure. One. Two. Three!"

They found themselves in a lush field overlooking a deep valley. The children gasped at the sight. Down below, dozens and dozens of tents had been erected. There were Digimon below, and it was quite evident that they were training, and serious, too. Every Digimon they spotted bore determined looks. From below there came a voice.

"Children!" said a Digimon.

"MetalMamemon!" said Takumi.

"Off you go," said Witchmon. "I suppose this is good-bye - for now. But don't you worry. I have no doubt that the battle is yours."

Departing down the slope, they met MetalMamemon at the bottom. He was smiling as broadly as he could, and it was evident that everything was going according to plan - at least for now.

"Good morning, humans!" said the armored Digimon. "I am very pleased to see you all here."

"It's good to see you!" said Takumi. The Digimon were so immersed in their training that they did not even look up to get a look at the humans, though it was clear that the temptation was there.

"Yeah, you're working with quite an army here!" said Ryota. And then, cautiously: "Will it be enough to take down MarineDevimon?"

MetalMamemon looked incensed. "What do you mean, enough? This army is big enough to take down all three of Daemon's lieutenants!" The children looked at him skeptically, and then he added: "Well, perhaps not all three. But we certainly have enough to take him down. Whether or not we do or not -" He looked up resignedly. "- Is up to the fates. But, may I add, we have certainly done all we can to put us in the best position possible."

"Will we really be able to breathe underwater?" Yuka asked.

"We certainly will, dear!" said MetalMamemon. "It is a bit of a drag, yes, and sometimes I wish I was a seafaring Digimon, but there is no other way! We will get to the DigiBubbles in due time. But come! Won't you meet some of our recruits?"

MetalMamemon introduced them to a Digimon who looked like a giant snowman. "Children, this is Frigimon! Frigimon, these are the humans."

Frigimon bowed and offered his gratitude. "Humans! I have not seen them in forever. You _must _be the saviors! I must say, there is no one in this whole wide Digital World that I hate more than Daemon. Lord Daemon, my foot! If you can defeat him, children, why, you'll have written the most important chapter in our history."

The children all thanked him for their confidence. MetalMamemon was joyous today for some reason. "Frigimon looks nice, but you had better not get on his bad side. Frigimon, show them your special technique!"

Frigimon obliged, turning to a punching bag that had been set up nearby. Then he called out, "Subzero Ice Punch!" and the attack made impact, swinging the bag from side to side until its post could no longer sustain it.

The children watched the technique, not sure what to think of it. Frigimon said nothing, as if he was embarrassed by this display of power.

"Ah!" said MetalMamemon. "And you have to meet Garurumon, one of our finest soldiers."

They were introduced to a massive Digimon that resembled a wolf. Garurumon grunted and nodded his head as a greeting, then said, appearing not even to move his mouth: "Children, I have been waiting for you for so long. I have never ceased believing in the prophecy. And seeing you for the first time, I can say that I've never been more certain of your ultimate victory."

"Well, we haven't won yet," said Shun. "We're going to need all the help we can get."

"You'll get it from me!" said Garurumon. As MetalMamemon had apparently not given him permission to continue talking, the wolf Digimon bowed and resumed his training.

They walked through the training camp, awed by the mass number of Digimon they saw, and the various training methods that had been employed. As MetalMamemon gave them a semi-tour of the facilities, Takumi walked alongside Shun, who seemed almost depressed.

"Scared?" said Takumi, trying to lighten the mood.

Shun shook his head. "Well - sort of. It's just -"

"What?"

"I'm just not sure if we can live up to their standards. I mean, it seems to me it would be so much easier if we weren't _prophesied _to win. I mean, I don't want these Digimon's hopes to be destroyed again. If we're not the saviors, then all of this will be for nothing."

Takumi looked at Shun. "You know, the way I see it, there's nothing to lose. We have a destiny in this world, and sooner or later it's going to catch up with us. We might as well do the best we can and hope the fates will meet us there. I guess it's like what MetalMamemon said - he trusts fate, but he's going to be in the best position to meet it. We shouldn't leave anything to chance."

"I guess you're right," said Shun, and he seemed to be less preoccupied, though more resigned.

By now they were walking by a rather large body of water that probably flowed into the Net Sea, and Takumi thought for a moment that the battle was at hand. But no, they need worry only about more introductions.

"And now let me introduce you to our most vital recruits," said MetalMamemon. This was strange because there was nothing to see. But their guide whistled and from the sea emerged several Digimon, all of whom apparently were part of the army. The tents had been set up near the water for this reason. "Deep Savers, state your names!"

"Coelamon!"

"Ebidramon!"

"Manbomon!"

"Dolphmon!"

"These are just a few of them," MetalMamemon explained. "We have hosts of them."

"And -" said Reina, not trying to be impolitic, "why are _they _the most vital?"

"Simple, my dear. As inhabitants of the Net Ocean, they know it just as well as MarineDevimon. They will also be the ones who will guard us as we traverse the seas. They will be the ones on the frontlines, doing battle with MarineDevimon's forces so that we won't have to." He leaned forward to address the children. "And they're also the ones who are going to be dying in the most numbers," he said.

"Dying?" said Reina, somewhat loudly.

MetalMamemon nodded grimly. That the invasion of MarineDevimon's base would require sacrifice seemed to hit Reina for the first time.

"This is war, Reina," said Takumi. He put his arm on her shoulder. "And besides, this is what they _want _to do. They don't care if they have to die. They just want a better world."

"I wish we could fight with them!" said Shun.

"That will not be an option," said MetalMamemon. "We need to have you rested so that you can fight MarineDevimon effectively."

"It just seems so terrible that so many have to die for our sake," said Reina.

"But what a way of dying!" said MetalMamemon. "I would much rather die out on the field than old in my bed. Besides, when I die my data will just be recycled, still part of this Digital World . . . But I'm not afraid of dying. Far from it!"

"I'm not afraid either," said Takumi. "Well, maybe a little. But we didn't choose to get ourselves in this mess. I think that we were chosen to become Digimon for a reason. Even though the Shadow Gang might have had different reasons, I believe they were unconsciously motivated by destiny to defeat Daemon."

"I sure hope it's that way!" said Shun. "And then again, I sort of don't. It's kind of scary."

"We don't need any of you dying!" said MetalMamemon. "Get that thought out of your mind."

"But, but some of us have already gone!" said Reina. "There was that Miho girl! And Naoki! Oh, that was terrible!"

MetalMamemon shook his head, as if he was trying to dispel the concept from their minds. "It doesn't matter. The prophecy says that the great evil will be defeated by human-Digimon. It didn't say that every human-Digimon would be protected against death."

"Or it could be that just one of us defeats him," said Takumi.

This brought a chorus of "Huhs?" from the others. Takumi looked at them seriously. "The prophecy was written in an ancient language. It was unclear if the human-Digimon referred to was in the singular or the plural."

"Well, that's just great!" said Ryota.

"I guess if every one of us dies, then we'll know who the savior is!" said Reina despairingly.

"Don't say that!" said MetalMamemon. "None of you are going to die. I will be sure of it!"

"They thought that one boy in Civil City would be the savior, but that didn't happen," said Takumi.

Again, his comment was met with many questions.

"What?" said Yuka.

"Where did you hear that, Takumi?" asked Ryota.

"In a newspaper article I was reading," he told them. "They said he was a human who was part-Digimon too. They were certain that he would be the savior, but he was killed in the First Slaughter. In fact, come to think of it that's probably the reason why SaberLeomon was so skeptical of us. He didn't want to be disappointed so badly again."

"Yes," said MetalMamemon. "But let us make no mention of that unhappy event. If you are to win this battle, then you must have faith in yourselves. Otherwise, how can we have faith in you?"

"I have faith," said Takumi.

"So do I," said Ryota.

"Me too," said Shun. "I could be more confident, but - it is what it is."

"If you all will just stay alive, then I think I can do it," Yuka said. "I just don't think I could do it alone."

"Me neither," said Reina.

"Come on guys, let's just stop worrying about that," said Takumi. "We know what we need to do. Now let's do it."

"It's about that time," said MetalMamemon. "I see no use in training these Digimon anymore. The sooner we go, the better - lest MarineDevimon should catch wind of our plan."

"Do you think he's expecting us?" said Shun.

"Oh, I wouldn't be surprised," said MetalMamemon. "These evil Digimon are very crafty. I don't think we'll know, however, until we get closer to the base. He will catch wind of us eventually, I am sure of that. That is why we need these Deep Savers protecting us. Now, where are the DigiBubbles?"

Almost at MetalMamemon's command, five large, balloon-like objects emerged from the surface of the water, halfway into the sea, half outside of it.

"Are these the DigiBubbles?" said Takumi. He shouldn't have had to ask.

"Yes," said MetalMamemon. "Once you get in them, you needn't fear about breathing. You will find that you are just as capable breathing in water as you are on land."

"Are we going in separate bubbles?" asked Reina.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," said MetalMamemon. "No need to put all your eggs in one basket, so the saying goes."

"How many Digimon can fit in one bubble anyway?" asked Shun.

"You will find the DigiBubbles quite expansive. Remember, MarineDevimon's palace is inside of a gigantic DigiBubble. If you should be joined by another Digimon - and other Digimon will join you - then it will expand accordingly. I have only one request, and I have communicated this to the Digimon who will be protecting you. You are to stay in the back, farthest away from the attacks as possible."

"What if we're attacked from the back?" said Shun.

"You don't need to worry about that. The Deep Savers will be surrounding you on all sides."

"Is it possible for the DigiBubble to - pop?" Reina asked.

MetalMamemon nodded grimly. "Unfortunately, yes. But it would take a vast amount of power to do so. Should worst come to worst - and this is indeed the worst case scenario, I don't think you need to worry about this - you are to swim to the top as fast as you can. Ideally, a Deep Saver will come to your rescue."

"I wouldn't worry about it," said Takumi. "This is like a chess game and we're the kings."

"I just wish there weren't so many pawns forced to protect us!" said Reina.

"Such is the reality of war," said MetalMamemon. "Company A, report!"

Suddenly from the camp there came a barrage of unique Digimon, reporting all at once and giving salutes to MetalMamemon, which were duly returned.

"Takumi, I want you to meet all of these Digimon. They will be sharing your bubble, so you had better get used to them. It is a long trip to the palace."

"Greymon!"

"Tyrannomon!"

"Meramon!"

"Numemon!"

"Vegiemon!"

"Frigimon!"

"Kabuterimon!"

"Garurumon!"

Takumi was pleased to note that Frigimon and Garurumon was to join him. He wasn't sure about the other Digimon, especially the Numemon and the Vegiemon.

"Hey, how are you," said Takumi.

"It's an honor to be in the same bubble as you!" said the Kabuterimon.

"Well - thanks," said Takumi.

Reina smiled. "I hope we can be so lucky as to have Digimon like that with us."

"I just want to say," said the Greymon to Takumi, "that I will protect you no matter what. It is a privilege, human!"

"Well, thank you," said Takumi, with a bow.

The Greymon gasped. "A human, bowing to us! Unthinkable! We should be the ones bowing to you."

"Hardly," said Takumi.

MetalMamemon looked at Takumi. "Now, boy, get inside of that bubble. Pick one, any one, it doesn't matter."

Takumi looked at the floating DigiBubble with slight apprehension. He was more nervous than he anticipated.

"Go on!" said Ryota. "It's not going to bite you."

Takumi placed his hand over the fleshy material and saw it appear on the other side. Slowly, he stuck his whole arm in, then lost all fear and entered through the strange, foam-like substance. Once inside of it, he found that he could not see clearly, everything had a strange, bluish tent. He found that the bubble protected him from sound too, and he could not make out what MetalMamemon was saying. Not sure what to do, Takumi pushed against the bubble and found that he could move himself with this action. He became so immersed in this new location that it came as a surprise when he found that someone else was joining him in the bubble. He turned around to find Greymon getting inside of it. Amazingly, the bubble stretched out so that it was now as large as a bedroom.

"Hello again, human!" said Greymon. "How is it in here?"

"Just fine," said Takumi. "Have you ever - uh - been in one of these before?"

The Greymon shook his head. "Can't say I have. This is actually my first real time being in the ocean. I hope I don't get seasick!"

Takumi tried not to think of this prospect, for he did not care to share a bubble with Digimon vomit sliding around the bottom of it.

"Quite roomy in here, isn't it?" said the Greymon. "Oh yeah, MetalMamemon told you to transform into your Digimon form. It's the smart thing to do!"

"Oh - oh yeah," said Takumi. "It won't pop the bubble, will it?"

"It fit me inside, didn't it?"

"Okay," said Takumi. "Transform!" He pressed the button on his D-Pendulum. There was an overwhelmingly bright light within the bubble, and when the light ceased Hiamon stood where Takumi was once.

"Wow!" said Greymon. "I've never seen anything like it."

Shortly thereafter they were joined in the bubble by the other Digimon.

"Did you see that?" Greymon asked.

"What?" asked the Meramon.

"He transformed into Hiamon."

Meramon looked over the Digimon. "Impressive. But you had better get in the center of the bubble. Though I must admit, you don't look very vulnerable right now!"

"Don't you worry about me," said Hiamon. "I don't intend to sit here while you all fight it out."

"You won't be sitting," said Garurumon. "You'll be in the fight against MarineDevimon!"

By now the bubble had expanded so wide that it would have encompassed the square footage of a small trailer. Nevertheless, with the size of the Digimon factored in, it was rather cramped, which led to a strange sense of brotherhood.

They sat inside the bubble for a few minutes, discussing the impending invasion, when several Digimon darted out in front of the bubble.

"Look, Dolphmon!" Greymon exclaimed.

"Dolphmon?"

"Deep Savers!"

There were so many Dolphmon that they were almost blinded by the sheer number of them. They were like locusts covering the sun.

"How many are there?" Hiamon asked.

"There must be hundreds," said Meramon. The Dolphmon were joined by other sea Digimon, and the inhabitants of the bubble were somewhat jolted when they felt the forward lurch of the bubble.

"What's happening?" asked Hiamon.

"We're being pushed by the Dolphmon!" said Greymon. "There must be a lot of them to be able to move us so swiftly."

Indeed, they were moving at a remarkable pace. It was a strange, weightless feeling. As they moved, Hiamon looked through what he could see outside the bubble. There, he could see the outline of another bubble. Inside it, he thought he could just barely make out the form of Kibamon, until eventually the bubbles grew further and further apart until nothing more could be discerned between the Deep Savers who were surrounding them.

They traveled like this for some time. It was eerie not to be able to tell exactly where they were, and to share a bubble with Digimon who didn't know any more than he did. He wished that he could have MetalMamemon around, who had a strange, calming influence on him.

"I think he's not nearly as powerful as they make him out to be!" the Kabuterimon was saying.

"Who, MarineDevimon?" asked Frigimon. They were discussing the upcoming battle.

"No - no, I don't think he's ever faced a real challenge. And Daemon hasn't either, for that matter. I say he doesn't know what's coming for him. We'll knock him down without a scratch!"

"I'm not so sure," said the Meramon. "What do you think, savior?"

Hiamon considered this for a moment. "I don't think he's nearly as powerful as he thinks he is, nor is he as weak as we imagine. We'll have only the fates to thank if we defeat MarineDevimon."

"What the human says is right!" said Garurumon. "Daemon is strong, and his lieutenants are strong too. But I don't intend to give up regardless."

"That's the spirit!" said Greymon. "Let's give it our all. Win or lose, live or die."

This seemed to satisfy the residents of the bubble, and the conversation was given up. They sat in silence, the adrenaline rushing through their veins - or what passed for adrenaline in Digimon. But all were soberly aware of the toughness of the battle before them. The Digimon had since gathered to the center as a safety precaution, and as they did so Hiamon noticed that the bubble contracted in response. For their sake, Hiamon hoped that the bubble wouldn't burst. He wondered what the others were doing right now. Probably the same thing - just hoping the battle would be over without incident, yet all of them knowing deep inside that this would not be so.

The long silence finally became unnerving. Suddenly, as if through extrasensory perception, they all seemed to realize that something was happening outside of their literal bubble. When a Dolphmon to their side disappeared in a blast, their suspicions were confirmed.

"We've been hit!" said Greymon. There was pandemonium inside the bubble.

"No, we haven't been hit!" said Meramon. "It was a Dolphmon."

"But do you know what that means?" said Garurumon. "It means they know we're coming!"

Silence filled the bubble again, which contracted even more as they drew even closer to the center.

There came another blast, this time overhead. They saw a Dolphmon slowly lose pace with the rest of the sea Digimon, finally floating lifelessly and exploding into bits of data. Outside the disappearance of the Dolphmon seemed largely unimportant, though apparently noticed, for several others came in to fill his empty spot. They were moving faster now, as if the Deep Savers had been shocked into moving at a quicker pace.

"Is this - hostile attack?" Hiamon asked, not wanting to sound stupid.

"Almost certainly," said the Garurumon grimly. "Oh, I wish I could swim! I'd rip those enemy Digimon fin from fin."

"What sort of Digimon are attacking us?" asked Hiamon.

"MarineDevimon's army. Think Deep Savers gone bad. There could be any number of Digimon that he has fighting us. Gesomon, Octomon … if we're really unlucky, Tylomon."

"Tylomon?"

"Shark Digimon who show no mercy. They're completely subservient to MarineDevimon and completely brainless, but that just makes it all the more worse. They have no capacity for emotion, no nothing …"

For some time they passed in silence, the bubble moving continuously at the fast speed. The enemy attacks had subsided. Hiamon hoped that the enemy had not moved on for other bubbles … he tried not to think of his friends, perhaps floating in the water, their DigiBubble burst, attempting to reach the surface before running out of oxygen and then … failing. He could not stand the thought.

"How close are we?" said Hiamon.

"Oh, we're getting there," said Greymon.

"We're real close," said Garurumon, in a more helpful reply. "It shouldn't be long now …"

They were just beginning to weaken their defenses when there came yet another blast, this one louder than the first two. They looked to their left in horror to find that a whole slew of Dolphmon had been obliterated. Quickly, several more came to fill the place of the deleted Digimon, but it left the bubble more insecure and more prone to attack. When that maneuver ended, there came yet another blast, and then a strange tugging at the bubble that frightened them all.

"What is that?" Hiamon asked.

For once, the other Digimon did not have an answer, their mouths agape. Just as alarming, the bubble had slowed to a stop, though the Deep Savers continued to surround the bubble. Finally they saw the source of the trouble: a tentacle that had attached itself to the bubble. The Digimon inside gasped in horror, until the fin was removed by concentrated attacks from the nearby Dolphmon.

"What is it?" Hiamon asked. For a split second he imagined that the tentacle belonged to none other than MarineDevimon.

"It's a Gesomon!" said Garurumon. "One of MarineDevimon's soldiers!"

Fortunately the threat was quickly alleviated, there was another loud blast, but not to their harm. Finally, the bubble picked up speed again. The Gesomon had disappeared. They breathed sighs of relief.

"Damn," said Hiamon. "Are we going to make it to the palace?"

"Not without more losses," said Meramon. "I'd say we're a little more than half-way there. I think as we get closer, the attacks will pick up."

"Do you think the bubble will burst?"

Meramon's answer was far from reassuring. "I don't know."

The bubble picked up speed again, then after a while slackened. It was plain to see why: they were under siege again, and this time it was serious. Blast after blast was fired at the bubble, the Deep Savers taking the blunt of the blows. An Ebidramon that Hiamon had been watching with fascination sank, then exploded into bits. Several more Dolphmon took hits, and these Digimon also died, but when one vanished, three more seemed to appear. MetalMamemon had planned this carefully, and Takumi never thought the Deep Savers more noble. The Deep Savers fired blast after blast at their enemies, whom they could vaguely see through the gaps. They were fortunate to be protected by the strange plasma-like substance of the bubble.

The Digimon had been watching the bubble with grim sobriety, until something frightful happened: several Dolphmon and Coelamon who had been guarding them were stricken by a giant white tentacle, and to their horrified dismay, none appeared to take their place, the other Deep Savers presumably preoccupied with the battle at hand. Finally, another giant Ebidramon filled the gap, but not without considerable delay.

They resumed movement again at a steady pace, though the sound of several blasts kept them on their guard. The Deep Savers protecting them were fighting valiantly, though it was difficult for them to balance fighting, keeping the bubble protected, and moving it all at once. Hiamon was in the center of the bubble now, the other Digimon advising him to be protected. But even he could see further trouble ahead. It came in the form of a strange, black substance in the water that was beginning to obscure the outside of the bubble. Finally, the ink-like substance seemed to take over, until they were lost in near-darkness. They saw everyone else in the strange light of the bubble, but outside in the open sea it was pitch-black. The Deep Savers were having trouble as well, for the pace of the bubble had slowed considerably, until it came to almost a grinding halt.

"What's that?"

Meramon had a distressed look on his face. "I don't know. But if I had to guess, I'd say it's Octomon's Spurting Ink attack."

"The bubble won't pop, will it?" Hiamon asked.

"It could be worse. If the Digimon outside can't see, then we can't navigate the ocean. And if they don't know where anything is, then it'll be hard for them to protect us."

The Digimon watched the outside of the bubble with anticipation, even though there was nothing to see. Even if the Deep Savers were right outside, not a single feature would be discerned.

Then came the strange sound again that the Gesomon had made when it had touched the bubble with its tentacle: the same sound made when someone rubs against a balloon. The Digimon stood inside of their sanctuary, their nerves on edge. The chilling sound continued, louder and louder still, until what was inevitable came to pass. The bubble tightened, until finally there came a strange popping noise that indicated their stay was over. There were shouts of horror. Mass chaos prevailed as the dark ink spilled into the bubble, until finally all was dark.

Hiamon had been breathing normally when the bubble popped, it took him a while for him to correct this and hold his breath, for that was necessary now. He realized he could not tell left from right and up from down, but what he thought was up he charged. His wings were not of much use in the water, but he would have to use them to the best of his ability. Up, up, and up. He swam - it was the first time in his Digimon form that he attempted to swim, and he found it excruciatingly tiresome. He flapped his wings with all his might. Finally he felt his breath running out. The darkness of the water remained, it was dark as the darkest and deepest ocean.

Then, all at once, the darkness died, and he saw the light. But he was still far, far from the surface, and he could feel himself dying as breath ran out. He flapped his wings, flapped them, harder and harder - he would not give up. Finally, as if by some miracle, he emerged from the water, taking in deep breaths, his salvation. Yet he was not out of the woods yet. He looked about him and found that he could not see the shore, they were so far out. With his limbs sore, it would not be long before he was so completely exhausted that sink or swim would no longer be an option. In vain, he transformed back into his human form to see if this would help the pain subside. His arms still felt tired, and when this failed to alleviate the pain, the exhaustion, and the soreness, he transformed back into Hiamon again.

Then he felt a strange burst of strength, as if the exhaustion in his arms and wings were fading. He then thought of the Digimon below. He knew then that he would have to return to the depths, lest they drown. He did not know how much time he had left, but every moment was precious. Taking a deep breath, the deepest breath he had ever taken, he dived back into the water. It was evident where the bubble had popped, the black ink that had destroyed their safety remained, though it was fading. Down below, Hiamon could see the form of two small Digimon - the Vegiemon and the Numemon - and also Kabuterimon. Carefully, he took the arm of the insectoid Digimon and put it around him, hoping that he would not prove too weighty. The smaller Digimon took the hint and clung to his tail. Then he started up for the surface once again.

Again he could feel his breath dying. Desperately, he reached the surface, gasping.

Kabuterimon was barely conscious, but he spoke anyway. "Thank you, human. My wings are not like yours; they allow me to hover but they are not good for swimming."

"Will you be okay?"

"Yes. Where are the others?"

"I've only got you!"

Kabuterimon gasped for breath. "Go - get - them," he said. He hovered over the water, the stress of the near-drowning evidently having taken its toll.

The Vegiemon and the Numemon were clinging round his neck, and Hiamon was beginning to tire of them. "Here," he said. "Take these two!" And so the weaker Digimon were dispatched.

Finally Hiamon started back again for the others, though he doubted his ability to locate them. He was near certain that enough time had elapsed for them to drown in the depths of the Net Ocean. He disappeared into the water. Down below he could see nothing, just blackness. It was not the blackness of the ink, but simply the darkness of the water. Finally he could see something swimming about - the giant Ebidramon he had seen earlier. To his surprise and astonishment, the crab-like Digimon came out from underneath him, taking Hiamon along with him. Once again Hiamon broke through the surface, this time involuntarily.

"What are you doing?" Hiamon said angrily. "There's Digimon down there to save!"

The Ebidramon had a grandfatherly voice. "Ah, I wouldn't worry about them, lad. Most of those Digimon have been rescued."

"Rescued? How? Didn't the bubble pop?"

"Ah, but now we've got the _bigger _bubble to worry about, don't we now?"

"Wait - what do you mean? You mean - ?"

"Yep. We've made it. It was a little rough, but we're just a half a minute's swim to MarineDevimon's palace. You don't think you could hold your breath for that long?"

"Of course!" said Hiamon. "Well, that's welcome news, anyway. Have all the Digimon been rescued?"

"Just about," replied the Ebidramon. "You'd best hop on my back, if you want to get there quick."

"All right!" said Hiamon. "Kabuterimon!" He summoned the flying Digimon and informed him that they were near the palace. Without hesitation, the Kabuterimon flew down from his lofty heights and joined Hiamon on the Ebidramon's back.

"Hold your breath!" the Ebidramon commanded, and they did so, making sure to hold tight to the Ebidramon. They plunged into the water, relieved that most of the Digimon had been rescued. The Ebidramon swam faster than the bubble traveled at its fastest speed, and soon they could make up the outline of a massive object that seemed like a gateway to another world inside the ocean. They approached the gigantic DigiBubble. Even outside they could make out the massive underwater palace of MarineDevimon. Crossing the threshold through the bubble was nothing new to Takumi. Instead he focused on the castle before them. To say that it was beautiful would be an understatement, but it was beautiful in an eerie way - perhaps the eeriness could be attributed to the fact that it was occupied by such an evil creature.

Having entered the bubble, they found that breathing came easy, and furthermore, they were now upon what seemed like marble steps leading up to the giant doorway to the palace. There they joined what seemed like hundreds of other Digimon who had already reached the place. Spotting the Digimon who had occupied the smaller bubble with him, Hiamon breathed a sigh of relief, and then a greater one when he saw his friends.

"Takumi!" said Reina. She was, of course, in her Digimon form of Suraiimon.

"Shhh!" said Hiamon. "Keep your voice down."

"Just look at this!" said Suraiimon. "This is like a party."

"It will be a party when we defeat MarineDevimon," said Hiamon. "Kibamon! Mekanorimon! Mikemon! Boy, am I glad to see you all! My DigiBubble popped!"

"Mine did too!" said Kibamon.

"So did mine!" said Mikemon.

"No way," said Hiamon.

"They got us good," came a voice. MetalMamemon appeared, so tiny that they had hardly noticed him. "I must admit that I did not foresee they would use Octomon's Spurting Ink attack to immobilize us. I must admit, it was a smart move on MarineDevimon's part."

"But what is MarineDevimon doing right now?" said Hiamon. "This is - eerie. Where are his henchman?"

"We defeated most of them, I think," said MetalMamemon. "There are still some remaining in the palace, to be sure. We had more casualties than we planned, though we are where we want to be."

"That's too bad!" said Mikemon.

"Yes. DigiBubble F got attacked early on; I don't think anyone was saved. But again, such is war."

Hiamon turned his sights to the palace. "I don't like this. He sends swarms of henchman at us early on, and now nothing? It's like he wants us to enter the place."

"Your guess is as good as mine," said MetalMamemon. "Perhaps he wants us to lull us into a false sense of security. He -"

There came a loud crash, and as if from beneath them, several Gesomon appeared, along with several Octomon.

"Great!" said Hiamon. "Just what we needed!"

"Everyone attack!" shouted MetalMamemon.

Chaos prevailed yet again, but it was chaos in their favor: having won so many victories, the army was not about to give up to MarineDevimon's henchman, who proved no match for them.

Then, from the ground, appeared several shell-like Digimon. They were obviously enemies.

"What are these Digimon?" said Hiamon. One of them had somehow bitten his leg. He shook it off; it hit the side of the gigantic bubble until collapsing onto the marble stairs.

"Syakomon!" said MetalMamemon. "Horrible little Digimon!" The armored Digimon rose, and shouted, "Energetic Bomb!"

The energy bomb destroyed several Syakomon and hit a Gesomon head-on. Several Octomon appeared, spurting ink.

"Flame Rain!"

Hiamon rose into the air, flames discharging from his wings. The flares bounced off the Syakomon but injured a few of the Gesomon, many of whom were disappearing into bits of data.

"Arctic Arrow!"

An ice arrow shot from Kibamon's mouth, wounding some Octomon and even destroying the ink gun of one of them. Powerless, the Octomon found himself outnumbered, and outlived by the Digimon who took the opportunity to destroy him.

"Twin Beam!" Several Syakomon were destroyed by Mekanorimon's attack, several more latched onto his robot-like arms and attempted to snap them, but Mekanorimon threw them off, slamming them into the marble stairs and deleting them.

"Sidewinder Claw!" Suraiimon pulverized several Mekanorimon while the Octomon found the attack having an adverse effect on their tentacles, which were deleted. But to their horror, several more appeared, as if from an assembly line. Mikemon's Cat's Claw attack had the same effect, but with the same ultimate outcome.

"There are too many of them!" Hiamon cried.

"You had all better get into the palace!" said MetalMamemon. "I'll help you. Energetic Bomb!"

Two Octomon that had been guarding the palace doors were the recipients of the attack; while they were not deleted; it allowed the five Digimon the time to sneak through the doors.

Once inside, the five Digimon found a place that was just as spectacular inside as it was on the outside. Everywhere there seemed to be rare jewelry, whether it lined the walls or even the floors. Beautiful shells made a strange, colorful carpet.

"All right!" said Hiamon. "Where is that creep?"

As if in answer to their question, they suddenly noticed a long, winding staircase that led up to the second floor.

"Let's go!" said Mekanorimon.

They made their way up the stairs in no time, and they were astonished to find that another hallway opened up before them, one that was even more magnificent than the one they had just entered.

"Suraiimon, look out!"

Suraiimon looked up, Hiamon swept her up just in time to prevent her from being the victim of a fallen chandelier. The decoration fell to the ground with a terrific crash, and what seemed like ice crystals shattered onto the floor.

"Thank you," said Suraiimon, but they did not have long to rejoice: to their horror, everywhere the chandeliers that hung overhead began falling, crashing to the ground. Kibamon, who was the target of one of these falling objects, was only saved by a last-minute Twin Beam from Mekanorimon. Though no one was injured, the situation alarmed them.

"I think he knows we're here," said Kibamon.

"Good!" said Hiamon. "He wouldn't be doing this crap if he wasn't scared. Let's go!"

They progressed through the hallway, before they were faced with a pair of ominous-looking doors with diamond doorknobs.

"He really is living large," said Mekanorimon.

"Not for long," said Hiamon. "Triple Dragon Claw!" His claws glowing, the dragon Digimon lunged at the double doors, knocking them down. The others followed behind him. What they saw in this next room astonished them.

Sitting on a pile of diamonds, necklaces, and other assorted jewels, was MarineDevimon. There was no mistaking him, never before had they seen such an evil-looking creature.

"Hello," said the evil Digimon, a nasty smile spreading across his lips. He was a bizarre-looking creature to be sure, part-man, part-beast, long tentacles that were similar to Gesomon's, a tail, a massive chin, and eyes that were almost too evil to be real. The combined effect of these features made him seem more beast than man.

"Good afternoon," said Hiamon. "We're here to destroy you."

The sea devil cackled. "Destroy - me?" He spoke like an aristocrat, but with a deep, gurgling voice that gave them goosebumps. "You foolish Digimon! Soon you'll feel the _squeeze._"

With that he grabbed Mikemon with one of his tentacles.

"Put her down!" Hiamon shouted.

MarineDevimon grinned. "We'll see."

Suddenly, he slammed Mikemon onto the ground repeatedly, the cat Digimon whimpering each time as she hit the ground. Appalled at this unacceptable behavior, the others quickly came to her rescue.

"Twin Beam!"

The attack did not harm MarineDevimon, though it did have the effect of releasing Mikemon.

"Are you all right?" asked Mekanorimon.

"I'm okay, but my head hurts," said Mikemon, rubbing it.

MarineDevimon cackled.

"I'm already getting sick of that laugh!" Hiamon shouted.

"That's too bad," said MarineDevimon. "It'll be the last thing ringing in your ears when you die! Ha ha ha! Dark Deluge!"

MarineDevimon spewed black goo similar to Octomon's, but this was more than mere ink, it was ink with a mix of evil that seemed to drain Hiamon of his power and leave him immobilized.

"Hiamon!" said Kibamon.

"He's strong," said Hiamon. "Real strong!"

Kibamon looked at him. "About that time, don't you think?"

"Right. Suraiimon!"

"Loud and clear!"

"Hiamon digivolve to … Radiatimon!"

"Kibamon digivolve to … Hypothermon!"

"Suraiimon digivolve to … Nornmon!"

Appearing before MarineDevimon, they seemed to make a formidable group. The three ultimates stood in front, the two champions behind them.

"So!" said MarineDevimon. "You can digivolve to ultimate. Ha ha ha! Do you really think that will be an impediment to my impending victory?" He wrapped a tentacle around Hypothermon. To their horror, even the ultimate level Digimon who could not withstand the attack. Hypothermon grunted in fury, but to no avail.

"Leave him alone, you jerk!" said Mikemon. "Cat's Claw!" But the attack had no effect.

"Darkness Water!" shouted MarineDevimon. The attack pasted Mikemon to the wall, the evil black substance dripping from her like paint.

Meanwhile, Hypothermon was turning blue as the tentacle squeezed tighter and tighter …

"I'll squeeze you like a grape!" laughed the evil Digimon. By this time the groans and grunts of pains had diminished; the attack taking its toll on Hypothermon's breathing.

"4-Disk Brake!" shouted Mekanorimon, throwing a lethal punch at MarineDevimon's ribs. The evil Digimon stepped back, which was all the attack did, however, his grip on Hypothermon loosened. Partially free, Hypothermon bit into the thick tentacle.

For the first time, MarineDevimon seethed with pain. They saw that the black substance was oozing from the tentacle like blood.

"Time for the tin can to go into the scrap heap!" MarineDevimon shouted in response. "Darkness Water!"

The attack's effect on Mekanorimon was profound: not only did it throw him up against the wall like Mikemon, it seemed to affect the Digimon's circuitry, so that sparks flew from the mechanical creature.

As MarineDevimon cackled, Radiatimon planned his next move.

"Radiation Missiles!"

"Darkness Water!"

To Radiatimon's dismay, the missiles were vaporized. Agape, he realized that MarineDevimon was much more powerful than he had imagined. But before he could even think of what to do next, MarineDevimon was on top of him. He could feel his slimy body touch his, and just to think about it was worse than hell. Then came the pain, the pain of tentacle after tentacle hitting his face, knocking him down.

"I won't allow you to attack my friends like that!" Nornmon shouted over the tumult of the battle.

"Just try to stop me!" MarineDevimon cackled.

"Destiny Weaving!"

Thereupon a string of cords were released from Nornmon's hands, but they were easily shot down by MarineDevimon's tentacles. "Darkness Water!"

Try as she might, Nornmon could not resist the attack, and she too was thrown against the wall, falling, disheveled, to the floor.

"Ha ha ha!" laughed MarineDevimon. "Now, fun and games are over, time to get to the real business of killing you all. Who would like to be the first to volunteer?"

Suddenly, Mekanorimon stepped forward, as if compelled by some force.

"Ha ha ha!" MarineDevimon laughed again. "You? You robot Digimon, you must have short circuited! How could any champion Digimon defeat me?"

Then, Mekanorimon began glowing. The others looked on with fear, for this was out of the normal. Then, in Mekanorimon's place stood Shun; he had dedigivolved.

To say that the appearance of a human took MarineDevimon by surprise was an understatement.

"What!?" said MarineDevimon. "No - not a human! It's - it's impossible!"

"Shun, what are you doing!" said Hypothermon.

MarineDevimon's eyes glinted. "Oh, I get it. You're all human-Digimon. I thought that they had all been wiped out in the Slaughters. Well, I suppose I will be the one to make your species extinct!" He laughed again, and it was as if the spectacle of seeing humans again was already old news.

"Not so," said Shun. "I just wanted to tell you that if we kill you - _when _we will kill you - you'll have suffered the indignity of being killed by humans. What will Daemon and the other lieutenants think of that?"

"You are all very stupid," said MarineDevimon. "Even if you make it past me, you will never destroy Daemon. His powers are otherworldly, and his heart is so full of darkness that no light can -"

"Oh, can it!" said Shun.

"Impudent human!" said MarineDevimon. "I was however amused by your remark that I will be killed by a mere human. So let's see it! Ha ha ha!"

It was a sudden movement that took them all by surprise. Suddenly, MarineDevimon's tentacles swooped down like some out-of-control beast, wrapping Shun in its coils.

"Shun!" said Radiatimon.

"Ha ha ha!" MarineDevimon laughed, as his tentacles tightened around Shun's body. The human was turning off-color, a foul blue, and it looked like he would choke to death. "Now you see how pitiful humans really are. A Digimon, no matter how small, would at least resist my attack - but a human can do nothing! Ha ha ha! And now I shall crush you!"

The children turned away, the scene too grim to watch. They seemed to know the ultimate outcome of MarineDevimon's deadly game. And then the chamber was filled with a strange sound. Takumi's first instinct was that it was Shun, melting away. Takumi looked up. He could not believe his eyes. The boy was so blue that the color seemed to surround his whole body. No, it was not a mistake.

"Shun!" said Takumi. "You're glowing!"

A pained expression came upon MarineDevimon's face as he suddenly released the boy. "Gah!" he shouted, as if he had been severely burned.

"PENDULUM POWER!" said the boy. And then the form became bluer and bluer until they could see nothing inside it. When the blue fog faded away, Shun was no longer there. In his place there stood a hulking, armored Digimon with a shield and, most evident, a large sword.

"KNIGHTMON!"

"Knightmon?" said Takumi.

"Shun!" said Ryota. "You've digivolved!"

"So …" said MarineDevimon, not amused with this unexpected turn of events. "You've digivolved to ultimate. Well done. Now we have a level playing field. Too bad you'll lose anyway. Darkness Water!"

The same oil-like substance appeared from MarineDevimon's mouth, in an attempt to douse the newly-minted ultimate Digimon. It was to no effect, however - Knightmon easily blocked the attack with his shield. Having evaded the attack, Knightmon charged the evil Digimon, his sword high in the air.

"GAAAAAAH!"

From the evil creature there came a horrific, blood-curdling scream, so desperate that for a split second Takumi felt sorry for him. The children looked up and confirmed the source of the demon's wicked cries: Knightmon was slicing off the thing's tentacles, one by one, until each of them lay useless, on the floor.

"You beast!" said MarineDevimon.

The turning of the tables seemed to have increased MarineDevimon's resolve even more, and his twisted face gave off a look of extreme hatred.

The five Digimon, rejuvenated by this sudden display of strength, stood in defiance to MarineDevimon. Knightmon stood in front of them, bearing his sword.

"Ha ha ha!" said MarineDevimon. "You have not even begun to taste my power." Then, to their shock and horror, the tentacles grew back, until they were just as menacing as before.

"All right everyone!" said Knightmon. "Charge MarineDevimon!"

"Destiny Weaving!"

"Freeze Tranquil!"

"Helios Missile!"

"Cat Claw!"

"Armor Knife!"

The attacks all flew at MarineDevimon: cords from Nornmon, a cold ice blast from Hypothermon, a blazing missile from Radiatimon, and a claw attack from Mikemon. The combined effect of the attacks seemed to have the effect of only annoying the sea creature, with MarineDevimon only stepping back in turn.

"Your puny attacks are no match for me!" he shouted. His look of extreme hatred continued, his face twisted into a violent rage. "Darkness Water!"

The oil-like substance shot out of his abdomen again, and the Digimon were flooded with it. Knightmon, however, anticipated the attack and kept up his shield, blocking it once more. For the first time MarineDevimon looked stunned, as if he had no more cards left to play. But his twisted smile quickly reappeared, telling them all they need to know. The devil Digimon swung his tentacles, but not in the direction of his enemies, but behind him at the wall. Crash! Crash! MarineDevimon punched the wall. The Digimon watched, wondering what he was doing. Their first thought was that he was trying to escape. It was only when they saw the water rushing in that they saw his plan. In a position of dominance once again, MarineDevimon cackled, his most evil one yet.

"He's going to flood the place!" shouted Hypothermon. Mikemon, the smallest of the Digimon, was the most vulnerable, so Hypothermon commanded her to get on his back, which she did.

"Ha ha ha!" cackled MarineDevimon. "It doesn't matter how powerful you are. If you can't breathe underwater, it's either sink or swim!"

The Digimon were at a loss for what to do in this grim situation. Taking advantage of their confusion, MarineDevimon stepped up the attack.

"Darkness Water!" Another thick blast of the black substance and the Digimon, save Knightmon, were once again thrown to the wall. The blackness combined with the steadily rising water to turn it a foul color, like sewage. Seeing the effectiveness of this strategy, MarineDevimon pounded on the walls with increased intensity, boring a huge hall into it. Then it was like a dam had burst: the water came in so quickly and with such force that it was as if resisting a rushing waterfall.

"Knightmon!" said Hypothermon. "We have to get this over with quickly. His body is his weakness. Your sword can chop him into pieces!"

"Will do!" said Knightmon.

MarineDevimon, far from afraid of this threat, looked at his opponent with a grin, as if he were a friend who had lost a bet. "How are you, Knightmon? Let's hope you don't get rusty fighting in this water!"

It was a valid point; by this time the water had risen so that it was up to Knightmon's waste. Movement was difficult, and it took all of Knightmon's strength just to remove his sword from underneath the flood.

Taking his opportunity, MarineDevimon attacked. "Darkness Water!"

Unable to reach his shield in time, the attack threw Knightmon into the water. The others watched with horror as MarineDevimon's smile became even more twisted.

"Now to finish you!" said the demon Digimon.

_CRASH!_

Overhead there came something unexpected, something that did not please MarineDevimon in the slightest. It was the Deep Savers again, and they had returned for the battle. They came in through the hole and grabbed onto MarineDevimon, an Ebidramon snapped one of his tentacles, while a Crabmon gripped onto his chin. A Dolphmon appeared from seemingly out of nowhere and knocked MarineDevimon off balance. The attack was far from devastating, but it gave Knightmon the chance to recover.

Seeing this, MarineDevimon shouted, "Darkness Water!"

The attack was an uninspired one; MarineDevimon should have known not to have used an old, tired technique. Knightmon once again blocked it with his shield, and the torrents of black goo were heavy and full of force, but the shield stopped all of it. At once Knightmon gained the upper hand, shifting against the black force. When MarineDevimon realized the futility of his attack, Knightmon was already within striking distance of him.

Knightmon grunted, the saber in his hand. He bore it down on his opponent with full force, striking him in the head. There was another terrifying scream, soon ended; the demon began to ooze green blood, his face, twisted once with evil, was now twisted by the force of the sword inside of him. Knightmon was not content, however, to withdraw the sword, he insisted on splitting the devil Digimon in two, which he proceeded to do, drawing the sword all the way down to the abdomen, where Knightmon found that he could cut no further.

"You got him!" said Radiatimon, as the first Dark Lord began to fall apart. Withdrawing the sword, Knightmon stood triumphant. Then, a strange steam disseminated from the melting devil, his body falling to the ground like discarded clothing.

"He's dead," said Radiatimon, standing up. "You killed him."

What came next surprised them all. Rising, rising over the deceased body of the devil Digimon was was a red, skull-like head, its mouth open in a strange grin. Even in their Digimon forms, they felt positively terrified by the appearance of this severed organ.

The head looked at no one in particular, perhaps dividing his stares between Knightmon and the others. "Foolish humans," said the head. "Foolish so-called saviors! You think you can defeat the great Daemon! Well, I may have been beaten, but you still have two more to spar with! And I doubt you'll be strong enough to defeat them. Ashamed though I am to admit it, I am the weakest of Daemon's lieutenants … Daemon will deal with you, if you get to him … that much is certain … you will join me soon in death, saviors … how ironic … called saviors … yet you cannot save yourselves …"

The head laughed, and laughed, before dissolving along with the body below them. Before it did so, the head stared, mocking them, as if knowing of what the dark future held in them and delighting in it. And then, where there enemy once stood, there was nothing: an empty throne lay before them. The crisis over, the Digimon reverted back to their human forms.

"Come along, humans!" said the Ebidramon. "Climb on my back and let's get back to the shore!"

"How is everyone else?" asked Takumi.

"Just fine! MarineDevimon's henchman have been almost completely wiped out. We were told to go over here to see how you were doing."

"It's a lucky thing you came!" said Ryota. "We were almost fish food."

The battle having been won, the humans needed no further prompting to board the numerous Deep Savers that had arrived. The water now was coming through the hole in torrents. They held their breath, through the hole they went, through the seas and back up to the surface.

* * *

The next day's celebration was joyful, to say the least. Having defeated their first lieutenant, the children were more highly regarded than ever, and even those who had once been skeptics were forced to admit that they were probably sharing their fair city with the saviors. MetalMamemon, too, received his share of praise for the logistics of the battle, which, despite many losses, had been an overwhelming victory for the army.

"It seems like we have a celebration every other day!" said a proud Piddomon. "You humans are something else. You have brought joy to this town like no others have!"

Later, privately consulting with MetalMamemon, they discussed what had happened the day of the battle.

"Why did we win? I think it was because we were better prepared, better organized, and more determined than MarineDevimon and his forces," MetalMamemon theorized. "But, that is something that should be of much concern to you all. When you go to battle the next lieutenant, he will be more powerful than the last - and you will be without the benefit of the army helping you to coordinate an attack."

"That's fine," said Takumi. "The special characteristics of this battle required coordinated action. It won't be hard to defeat the next lieutenant."

"He won't be underwater," Reina pointed out.

"That's right," said MetalMamemon. "Also - and I don't want to be impolitic - but it's time for you to go. You all know the reason why as good as I do."

"We understand," said Takumi. "We have a special mission to do, and we can't waste any time."

"Especially when Daemon has the best spies, the best intelligence, and the most loyal supporters," said MetalMamemon. "Time is of the essence; I cannot state that enough. The quicker you go, the more lives you can save. But don't be so hasty that you forget to plan carefully. Remember - it is not all about brute force. War is about strategy more than anything else."

"MarineDevimon certainly had a good strategy," said Ryota. "Boring that hole into the wall nearly cost us the battle, and our lives."

"Yes, he wasn't known for his intelligence, but he could be a tricky devil when he wanted to be," MetalMamemon conceded. "Well - that is all water under the bridge, so to speak. What matters is what you do now. You have so far been to Civil City and Midgard City. Need I remind you that these cities are _highly _unrepresentative of the Digital World at large? In the _real _world - and by that I mean the vast majority of this world - hatred of humans, or the memory of humans, is still prevalent. There is even hatred against vaccine and data types. So, I don't think I need to remind you: tread carefully. This is a dangerous world, and you walk a thin line."

Reminded of their duties, they left MetalMamemon solemnly, with the promise that they would return.

They sojourned for another night in Wizardmon and Witchmon, the Digimon they had grown to trust so much. In the morning they ate the biscuits, ham, and eggs that Witchmon had made, while they packed their things to leave. As they did so, Takumi once again caught sight of the portrait of the wizard Digimon Eidolomon. Again he felt a strange feeling as if he was being watched. He caught the eye of Witchmon and she smiled at him.

"Dark City is many miles away," Witchmon explained.

"Lovely name," said Shun, with a groan.

"Just remember that as soon as you leave this city, you are no longer in friendly territory. There is no telling what or who will be against you as soon as you set out. Children, I give you my blessing."

"And I mine," said Wizardmon. "It is the hope of everyone that you can save this world!"

They set off without fanfare; they did not want to make a scene. They thought it best that way - MetalMamemon had warned them to save the celebrating for when they actually defeated Daemon.

"It is all or nothing," he had explained to them. "It is no use if you defeat all of Daemon's lieutenants but fail to kill Daemon himself. So, when you celebrate, only celebrate the fact that you are nearer to victory than before."

"Or failure," Reina had said.

They kept these words in mind as they trudged down the beaten path, Witchmon and Wizardmon behind them, looking on. As they walked along, they took one last look back at Midgard, that fair city that had greeted them so warmly and had come to their aid against MarineDevimon. Leaving it, they would be at the mercy of outside forces - whichever they may be. Though nearly all of them by now had digivolved into their ultimate forms, they could not help but feel extremely vulnerable, like all their defenses had been taken away. They knew that in a way that was the case - leaving Midgard, they were leaving their friends behind. Piddomon, Witchmon, Wizardmon, MetalMamemon, the Deep Savers and all the other Digimon …

"We'll never forget you!" Reina called. "None of you!"

"We'll be thinking of you when we defeat Daemon," said Takumi quietly. He had said it more to himself than to them. It was a promise he would have to keep.

_Next time on Digimon Genesis!_

_The children journey to their next town, when they find that they are correct in their conclusions that the inhabitants are not nearly as friendly as the Digimon in the two previous cities! But there's more to the town that human-hostility, including an eerie, blind subservience to Daemon! Plus, a shocking revelation! It's all in the next Digimon Genesis:_

_DARKNESS CITY! EVIL AFOOT!_

As always, please leave a review. Again I thank the many readers who have stuck by me so long. I hope you will continue reading this story to its close.


	34. Dark City

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, as I have said many times before._

_Previously on Digimon Genesis:_

_The children, aided by MetalMamemon's army, rushed the undersea palace of MarineDevimon, where they dueled with the devilish Daemon lieutenant. Shun reached his ultimate form of Knightmon, but it was only with the assistance of the Deep Savers that they were able to defeat MarineDevimon for good. Returning to dry land, they continued on their mission, going down the road to Dark City, where the stakes were sure to be higher and the Digimon more hostile …_

**DIGIMON GENESIS**

**CHAPTER XXXIV**

**DARK CITY**

The path to Dark City was indeed lonely and dark, and not to mention scary. They were surrounded on all sides by a dark forest; the road had apparently been paved through there. As they walked along, they could feel the eyes of creatures watching them through the woods, though none appeared. The trees were so tall and so thick that it was overwhelming. A route to the evil-sounding Dark City could not be more appropriately staged.

"You guys," said Shun, after some time. "The more I think about this, the more I think that the Digimon back there left out some critical information."

"What do you mean?" asked Takumi.

"Like," he said, "who is the second lieutenant, and why are we going to Dark City?"

"Because that's the nearest city," Ryota pointed out.

"Doesn't seem very near," Shun complained.

"Oh, lighten up," said Reina. "It's not that far. I just wish we didn't have to walk through these thick woods … I'm scared that something's going to jump out at me."

"We can take 'em," said Takumi. "Bring them on; we've all reached our ultimate forms."

"Not me," said Yuka meekly.

"Oh - oh yeah," said Takumi. "Well don't worry, you'll reach yours eventually. What I'm saying is, we're not afraid - unless Daemon shows up."

"Do you think that's possible?" said Reina.

"No, of course not," said Takumi. "Daemon's too busy in his palace, doing who knows what."

"He could send someone here," said Ryota.

"Yeah," said Takumi. "That is - if he knows we're human. And he doesn't."

"Not yet!" said Yuka. "What if there are cameras out here?"

They stopped in their tracks. This thought had not occurred to them.

"Good thinking," said Takumi. "All right everybody - let's transform - HIAMON!"

"Transform - KIBAMON!"

"Transform - SURAIIMON!"

"Transform - MEKANORIMON!"

"Transform - MIKEMON!"

"Hey, this is much better!" said Hiamon, flying overhead. "We'll get to Dark City much quicker this way."

"_You'll _get to Dark City quicker," said Suraiimon. "Some of us still have to walk."

Mekanorimon hovered over the ground; Suraiimon was clearly jealous of his abilities.

"These feet hurt," said Mikemon.

"I know what you mean," returned the fox Digimon.

Soon the afternoon turned into dusk, and then finally night set upon them: in the darkness, they felt safe to transform back into humans. They arranged that one of them would keep watch at all times while the others slept. They drew straws and it was arranged that Shun would stand guard first, then Yuka, Ryota, Takumi and then Reina. They camped out in the woods, and in spite of their fears they found it easy to fall asleep, though they kept their D-Pendulums close at hand in the case they would face an emergency.

Takumi had an odd dream, it involved a bird pecking at him until he buried his face in the ground to escape it. He awoke quickly afterward and got up to find it was the middle of the night. Unable to get back to sleep, he found Ryota still standing guard.

"You ready to take over?" Ryota asked.

"Sure," said Takumi. "I'm not that tired anyway."

"Me neither," said Ryota. "I'm more anxious if anything."

"You?" said Takumi. "Anxious?"

Ryota made a serious face. "Yeah. You know, what you told me about that boy depressed me."

"What boy?"

"You know, the one you read about in a newspaper article. The one who everyone thought was the savior."

"Oh - him."

"Yeah."

"And what makes you depressed about that, of all things?"

"Well," said Ryota, stretching and looking up at the dark sky. "It's just - to think that there were other human-Digimon before us who didn't succeed, well, that's a little discouraging, don't you think?"

"A little," said Takumi. "I guess I never really thought about it."

"I'm just wondering if we're going to fail like he did. You know, it must have been a burden - everyone thinking that you're going to save the world, and then you get yourself killed. That must have really disappointed a lot of Digimon. It's a surprise that so many are excited about us when they know they might be setting themselves up to be disappointed again."

"People are always looking for hope," said Takumi. "Everyone. And you know, hope can be a pretty powerful thing. Maybe …" He was silent.

"What?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking that maybe that other digital human just didn't want to save anybody. Who knows why. Maybe he just didn't think he had it in him. Maybe he didn't believe in himself. And maybe exactly because he didn't believe, destiny skipped him over. Instead of saving the world, he got killed in the First Slaughter instead …"

"What's your point?" said Ryota. "We're fated to do something unless we - don't?"

"No, no," said Takumi, shaking his head. "It's all too complicated."

"I sort of get you."

"No, it's something stupid. I really don't think we should be getting into this philosophy. It's just a waste of time. And time is of the essence, as MetalMamemon said."

They stood there in silence for a few minutes. It was clear that Ryota had a lot to get off his chest - or maybe he just wanted to talk.

"Do you still think a lot about your father?" he asked suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Sorry. Sorry, that's a personal question."

"No - that's okay. I mean, sure I think about him. I think about him all the time."

"Do you still think you'll find out what happened to him?"

Takumi thought for a moment. "Well, it'd be nice. But I sort of hate to say this, I've kind of given up hope. It's okay. I never expected to find out anything about him anyway. Knowing that he actually came to the Digital World really jolted me. I just went crazy with hope. I actually thought I would be reunited with him. And then - we found out about the Slaughters."

"That's tough, man," said Ryota.

"Yeah," said Takumi. "But we've been through Civil. We've been through Midgard. Those are the most human-friendly places in the Digital World. And I doubt he'd be hanging out in the other cities, unless he was a masochist."

"There's still hope," said Ryota.

"I guess," said Takumi. "But I'm not going to focus on it. It's not good to focus on things you can't change. What's done is done. It's in the past. We can never correct the past. Only the future."

"That's important to keep in mind."

Takumi nodded.

"Do you think we'll win?"

"What - you mean defeat Daemon?"

"Yeah."

Takumi again turned philosophical. "I'm not sure. The only thing we can do is to do our best. If we're going to die, we might as well make our deaths worth it." He was aping MetalMamemon.

Ryota yawned. "Well, I'm tired," he said. "Good talking to you, Takumi."

"Good talking to you," his friend returned. "See you."

Ryota returned to his tent. Takumi kept the night watch, thinking, until Reina was roused from her sleep and took over for him, an hour or so later.

* * *

They rose at eight in the morning; they were all eager to head on with their journey. The problem of food was not addressed until later on; they had to save some of the provisions that Witchmon and Wizardmon had given them. At around noontime, or whatever its Digital World equivalent, they settled down under the trees for a regular, old-fashioned picnic, where they spoke of what lay ahead of them.

"Dark City certainly sounds ominous," said Ryota.

"The question is," said Shun. "Where are we going to stay? They certainly won't welcome us with open arms."

"They must have a motel or something," said Takumi. They exchanged glances. None of them were keen to stay at a run-down hotel with potentially dangerous owners.

"It'll be okay," said Ryota. "Just as long as we stay in our Digimon forms and don't act funny."

"Yeah, that part worries me the most," said Takumi. "We don't know anything about the culture in Dark City. I'll be hard to fit in. We'll be like regular spies!"

"What happens if they do get suspicious of us?" asked Reina.

"They won't dwell on it," said Shun. He nonetheless expressed this in an uneasy tone.

After the meal they transformed back into their Digimon forms and went through the forest again. As they got deeper into the forest, the trees became thicker, the shadows longer, and a general feeling of discontent seized them.

"I don't like this place," said Suraiimon.

Hiamon, who was hovering overhead, shared the sentiment. But he did not want to say anything, lest he worry the others. It was not the discomfort from the forest that was gnawing at him, but the feeling that they were being watched. Whether he was correct or not he did not know, but he could not shake the feeling, even when several hours passed without hearing so much as a sound. He was just beginning to ask Kibamon, who had a better sense of distance than he, of when they would reach Dark City, when suddenly a Digimon appeared before them.

They were all caught by surprise; the Digimon had seemingly come out of nowhere. Reptilian in form, his body was composed of dark flame, a golden helmet, and long, menacing claws of the same composition.

"Rah!" shouted the Digimon. "Darkrizamon!"

Having proudly stated his name, the Digimon proceeded to swipe at Suraiimon, who was nearest to him. The fox Digimon recoiled, then attempted to scratch the enemy, but to no avail. Incensed, Hiamon doved at the Darkrizamon, pinning him to the ground. His opponent was strong, and they grappled on the ground for a bit, until the Darkrizamon broke free with an attack: "Dark Flare!"

The flame struck Hiamon, sending him backward, but before the Darkrizamon could savor his victory, Kibamon was on him in a heartbeat.

"Arctic Arrow!" shouted the Kibamon, and the blue flame was fired, hurting the Darkrizamon, who yelled with pain.

Seeing their opportunity, the other Digimon joined in.

"Cat Claw!"

"Twin Beam!"

Finally Suraiimon arose and delivered the fatal blow: "Sidewinder Claw!" This final technique had the effect of nearly cutting Darkrizamon in two, whereupon the body divided, and the Darkrizamon was vaporized into bits.

The Digimon stood there for a while, hyperventilating. The sudden attack had come as a shock to them all. It was a few minutes before any of them could speak.

"A wild Digimon," said Hiamon, breathing heavily.

Silence again.

"Well, we'd better head on," said Kibamon eventually. "No use staying here."

"That was scary," said Suraiimon.

"Scary?" said Hiamon. "This is something we should expect! This is something we need to be on guard for."

"Hiamon is right," said Mikemon, hopping up on a branch. This had been her manner of going about the forest, swinging from branch to branch with her long tail. "We have to be prepared - just in case."

"Hiamon, do you think he was a servant of Daemon's?" asked Suraiimon.

"No," Hiamon replied. "Daemon would at least employ a smarter henchman. I highly doubt that he even knows we exist. This was a wild Digimon, like the kind that killed Naoki."

They were instantly returned to that sobering day, their first in the Digital World, when the Rhinomon had unexpectedly killed their precocious leader.

"Oh, that was a horrible day!" said Mikemon, covering her hands when her eyes.

"Horrible, yes," said Hiamon. "But this is encouraging, actually."

"How so?" asked Kibamon.

"Well, Naoki couldn't hold a candle to that Rhinomon. He got killed instantly. But we took down this wild Digimon all by ourselves - and he had the element of surprise on his hands."

"But there were five of us," said Kibamon.

"That doesn't seem that encouraging," said Mikemon sorely.

"You guys!" said Hiamon. "I think you're intentionally looking for bad news. You all _want _to lose. You don't _want _to save this world because you think it's too big of a responsibility. I know, because I used to think the same way. But you can't be shrinking from your duty. We're the people who defeated MarineDevimon and overthrew the government of a whole city, remember?!"

"We don't want to lose," said Kibamon. "We're just stating the facts, that's all."

"Yeah, Takumi," said Suraiimon. "We want to win this fight just as much as you do."

Hiamon did not believe them, but Suraiimon's comments calmed him down a bit, and the matter was dropped.

Once again darkness was setting upon them, and quickly. The hours of walking and in some cases flying had passed the afternoon, and now they were once more faced with dusk. They were just a few miles away from Dark City, but the journey was abated for the day.

"I'd rather face Dark City in the morning," said Hiamon, "and learn more about it throughout the day, rather than just making our first stop tonight."

All agreed that they were not ready to face Dark City yet, so they made sleeping arrangements. They were close enough to the city that transforming back into their human forms would be dangerous, so in their Digimon forms they remained. The night watch was kept as usual, but nothing out of the ordinary occurred. Midnight, morning, dawn: and they were back on their feet again.

* * *

Writing, writing, writing … the Digimon was beginning to tire of it all. Even up into the early hours of the morning, his job was spent writing. True, his was a position of great power, but there were numerous downsides, and sometimes he wished for retirement, where there would be no one to bother him. His mind was going, he could tell. It was getting harder and harder to find the right word, his memories were fading, he constantly suffered from "tip-of-the-tongue" syndrome. And faces - he was beginning to forget faces. Why, just last week he was confronted with a Digimon whom he assumed was a visitor who turned out to be his new secretary. This was positively puzzling.

Finally he reached the tipping point, where he realized that he was truly tired and that sleep was preferable to wakefulness. It had been a long day, and the night was growing long as well. It was nearly time to put his feather to rest - his hand was tired.

Then, suddenly, there came a long shadow. It had appeared while he was writing and had grown gradually, he did not notice it until the figure was behind him, when something clicked in his mind and he knew that something was amiss. Alas, had his mind been more up to speed, he could have been saved. He wheeled about. Suddenly his head became the target of two cold hands that pressed his eyes so that he could not see. He struggled, but the hands seemed to take all life out of him. He grunted … he knew that he was dying, whoever was behind him was taking the life right out … he cried from deep inside, but nothing came out, nothing but a low, guttural moan as he was overpowered by the intruder. Completely helpless, he could not even launch an attack … he felt himself being carried. The Digimon holding him could not be much larger than he, but in terms of power he was far outmatched. Where he was being carried he did not know, all was a blur. He struggled some more and tried to shake off his opponent, one last bid for freedom, but he was contained quickly. The room moved about, where he was he knew well, and yet he could not be for sure where he was, such was the rush of emotion, predominant among them fear, desperation, uncertainty, and a sense of helplessness - but fear above all.

Then he saw the blade. He screamed in horror. Instantly he knew his fate. Now he was certain, but he was still unknowing. He was thrown down, into a seat, the blade above him. He watched the instrument of his death with horror. The intruder stepped away to let the blade do its ghastly work. As he stepped aside, the Digimon saw his attacker for the first time. When he saw him, he let out another whimper of horror. But it was too late, the blade came down, the head came undone, and life was snuffed out. The Digimon dissolved into bits of data, rising into the air until they became invisible particles. The murderer stood, watching the scene with a sense of grim satisfaction. The work was done …

* * *

Before noon the next day, the skyline of Dark City became visible. They were instantly astonished by the eerie splendor of it all, Dark City had actual _buildings._ While the cities of Civil and Midgard gave off a medieval, rustic look, Dark was clearly a modern city, a bustling, high-tech town. And yet they could not shake off the feeling of evil that filled them. Just looking at the city gave them an ominous feeling.

For a while none of them spoke, as was becoming custom when they were faced with a new event.

"It's beautiful," said Mikemon. Then, expressing the sentiment of all - "in an evil way."

"It is strange," said Hiamon. "It's modern - but unfriendly."

"It just gives me a feeling of evil," said Mekanorimon.

"Well, there's no time like the present," said Hiamon. "Let's just go in and see how the Digimon respond to us. See what they know. Try to get some information."

"Do you think they'll take kindly to us?" asked Suraiimon.

"I'm not sure," said Hiamon. "I'm not sure if travelers exist in the Digital World in large numbers. Or maybe some just stay in their cities their whole lives."

They approached the city. Finally the trees thinned out and the buildings seemed to grow taller as they neared their destination.

"Whatever you do," warned Hiamon, "don't transform back into humans. That should go without saying."

"Right," said Suraiimon.

Soon they were within the confines of the city. Fortunately, their appearance did not seem to arouse suspicion: apparently Digimon came and went as they pleased. They did not attract so much as an unwary look. For the team, this was welcome news.

"I don't think we have much to worry about," Hiamon whispered. "What we have to do is somehow find out the identity of the second lieutenant and also to find out where he is. We'll just have to leave out the part where we plan to kill him."

"Right," said Mikemon.

"Apparently, the second lieutenant governs the land of the Digital World, while MarineDevimon governed the sea."

"So what does the third lieutenant control?" asked Mikemon. "The skies?"

"Must be," said Kibamon, looking overhead, "though it doesn't seem like there's much to control."

"We'd better get on," said Hiamon. "Timing is everything. We're going to have to do a lot more work on our own."

"It's going to be scary," said Suraiimon.

"Don't worry," Hiamon returned. "We'll win out in the end - just as long as we play it smart."

An instance of playing smart presented itself before them, when Hiamon spotted an odd-looking Digimon. He resembled a cactus, was garbed in strange dress and wore a sombrero on his head.

"Excuse me!" said the dragon Digimon.

"Yes?" said the Digimon.

"We're visiting in town and we'd like to know where the hot spots are around here."

The Digimon pointed. "Over there is the Dark Tavern. Most popular place in town. If you want to hear news or anything, that is the place to be. Have you been traveling long?"

"Yes," said Hiamon. "Well - we've been walking for about two days, if you consider that long."

"I expect the tavern to be pretty crowded today," said the Digimon. "_Lots _to talk about."

"Oh -" said Hiamon. "I'm sure."

They thanked the Digimon, who made his way around a corner. Then they met up again and discussed the matter.

"Dark Tavern?" says Kibamon. "Doesn't sound like a friendly place either."

"Do you think they'll consider us underage?" said Mekanorimon.

"That cactus Digimon didn't seem so bad," said Suraiimon. "Hard to believe that most of these Digimon here probably hate us!"

"You can't tell a person just by talking with them," said Hiamon. "If he knew of our _true _intentions, there's no doubt that he would try to kill us. All right, let's go. Dark Tavern it is."

Dark Tavern was a seedy-looking place. At once the modern aspects of the city vanished; Dark Tavern was more medieval-looking than any place they had come across thus far. They went through a small wooden door. Inside the tavern, they could hardly discern anything from the darkness, but as soon as they entered, they noticed that something was out of the ordinary. Being children, they were not accustomed to bar settings, but at once they were taken with how eerily quiet it was. There were Digimon there, to be sure, and everyone seemed highly interested in some news item. Digimon were clustered about tables, speaking in hushed tones. There were occasional shouts of astonishment, but these were the only things that broke the solemn atmosphere. The entrance of the human-Digimon went largely unnoticed.

Hiamon nudged Kibamon. "It must be regarding MarineDevimon," he told him. Kibamon nodded in reply.

They approached the bar. A ghost Digimon was behind it.

"May I get you anything?" the Digimon asked.

"Well -" Hiamon hesitated. Not getting anything would be suspicious, but at the same time he didn't know what was offered, which was equally suspicious. He found his salvation in a menu. "Why yes," he said. "I'll have an - _agquao."_

"And you all?" The others ordered agquaos as well, but quickly found that they had nothing with which to spend.

"Hey!" said the ghost Digimon. "What are you all playing at, anyway?"

"Whoops - sorry," said Hiamon. "We don't have anything."

"None of you have any bits? All five of you have nothing?" There was no mistaking his tone. The ghost Digimon was clearly suspicious of their motives.

"Umm - that's right," said Kibamon.

"Then what are you doing here? Did you come here just to fill up space? Don't you have anything better to do? _Huh?_"

"If you ask _me,_" said one Digimon, who slurred his words quite drastically, "they're just here to _mess _with us. Here to gloat over their victory. Bah!" The Digimon who spoke was among one of those clustered around a newspaper at the bar, and his appearance was strange indeed - a Digimon with no torso, but legs and a head, in all aspects a bomb-like creature.

"Now, BomberNanimon," said the ghost Digimon, "let's not accuse them of any -"

Though alarmed by this accusation, their fears did not reach a tipping-point until a great man-like bull-like Digimon stepped from the crowd.

"Why if I didn't believe my own eyes! Vaccine Digimon in Dark Tavern! Get out! Get out, get out, or I'll kill you, every last one of them!"

Hiamon feared an insurrection, but with great force, said: "Well I can't believe this at all! My friends may be vaccine types, but they're more loyal to Lord Daemon than most virus types are. They can't help that they were born vaccine Digimon." He turned to the ghost Digimon. "We've just come here from days of being on the road, and is this how you treat your customers?"

The ghost Digimon tried to cool the situation down. Nonetheless, their words had attracted the attention of the rest of the tavern.

"No, no!" said the Digimon. "Of course not! Please forgive him, he's slightly intoxicated - he's just rambling on …"

"I am _not _intoxicated!" thundered the bull Digimon. "And I _will _kill any vaccine or data Digimon. If they step into this bar, I'll kill 'em, I'll kill 'em and …" He continued to ramble on. Suddenly a Digimon from the back stood up. He resembled a pirate.

"If these Digimon claim to be loyal to Lord Daemon, then more power to them! We need all the vaccines on our side as we can get, and alienating them is not going to help us. I think I speak for everyone when I say that every vaccine or data type that does not support Lord Daemon should be killed, but that should apply to everyone. Let them stay!" There came a chorus of assents from other Digimon, but it was far from unanimous. Nonetheless, it was enough to ensure their safety.

The pirate Digimon approached them. "Digimon, good to meet you. You say you have been on the road. From which town, if I may inquire?"

Hiamon hesitated -

"Oh, it's none of my business, don't you mind. But have you all heard the news?"

"The news?" said Hiamon. "No, we've been very much behind on the news. We've been on the road -"

"Well, Digimon, you must know of two great calamities that have befallen the Dark Kingdom. Lord MarineDevimon is dead."

"Dead!?" said the Digimon, feigning shock.

"Yes, dead, and at the hands of an uprising from the city of Midgard. Curse that city! I am sorry. I worked with MarineDevimon. It was a cruel and cowardly attack. May the perpetrators all hang!"

"Well, I am shocked," said Hiamon, pretending to be speechless.

"Yes - it came out in the papers yesterday and sent the town into a frenzy. So I am sorry that you have come at such a time. Now is a particularly bad time to be a vaccine-type Digimon. You are very lucky that you were not lynched in the street! Pardon me for saying so, but you probably owe your lives to me. You see, I am a very respected Digimon in the city and they will listen to me. But notice that even _I _could not quell some of the anger in here. Notice the lack of unanimity in my support for you. But you see, the way I take it, if you say you are friends of Lord Daemon, then you are, and there is no reason to doubt you."

"Well, thank you," said Mekanorimon.

"Ah, and at least some of you are virus types!" said the Hookmon. "And pardon me for saying so again, but you would surely have lost your lives if you vaccine Digimon had entered alone. A virus-type friend amounts for much in this day and age. You may well get them to vouch for you, for there will be changes - there will be changes!"

"Changes?" asked Mikemon. "What sort of changes?"

"For one thing," said the Hookmon, who suddenly changed his demeanor toward the vaccine Digimon, "you had best not be prowling the streets alone at night anymore. Digimon _will _kill you, and the law will not be your guardian. Public sentiment is against you. In fact, the last two days, these days of hatred and fear, remind me so much of fifteen years ago, when at last it was decided something must be done about the human pestilence. A purer digital world! And it worked for a while. The slaughter of the humans was done with the utmost efficiency. But even that failed to cure the ills of this poor, poor world. Daemon-supporting vaccine and data types though you are, there is no doubt you are in the minority - for these cowardly Digimon are lying in wait, waiting, waiting for their time to strike. Lord Daemon has done a fantastic job so far in putting down rebellions and the like. But nothing could be compared to _this_! A lieutenant of Daemon's killed in cold blood, the result of an attack by a rebel army!"

"Truly reprehensible," said Kibamon.

"Yes - a better word could not be found! This is why I believe that it will soon be curtains for these sorry vaccine and data types who have never stood with Lord Daemon. In cities everywhere, you will find these types being purged from their midst - with only virus type Digimon being able to vouch for them!"

"That seems prudent," said Hiamon. "Though of course, Suraiimon and Mikemon here are among the most loyal. It would be truly regrettable if they were to be - purged."

"Ah, yes," said Hookmon. "But Lord Daemon knows best, of course! And make no mistake - these controls will be implemented. I was not so sure yesterday. But with this _latest _calamity -"

"Latest calamity?" asked Hiamon.

"Yes," said Hookmon, with sadness. He handed Mikemon a newspaper. "You had better brace yourself."

Everyone crowded about the cat Digimon to read the paper. When they all read the headline, they all gasped with shock:

**JUDGE SKULLSATAMON MURDERED.**

**THE PERPETRATORS UNKNOWN.**

**DEATH OF TOP GOV'T OFFICIAL RAISES ALARM.**

Judge SkullSatamon, a top government official and a member of the three-Digimon Daemon Corps, was found dead in his office early yesterday morning, the victim of his own guillotine. Nothing is known of the perpetrator or perpetrators, except that the murderer was an intruder who had somehow gained access to SkullSatamon's chambers.

The news of SkullSatamon's murder came just one day after the news came of the death of MarineDevimon, who was killed in a battle with a rebel army composed of citizens chiefly from the city of Midgard. Government officials are investigating the matter.

Lord Daemon has made the following announcement: "Like all patriotic citizens, I am incensed by the grotesque murder of one of the Digital World's finest servants. A leader and a fighter for digital purity, SkullSatamon was an excellent judge and one of the top human-killers of all time. Make no mistake, the Digimon who committed this odious crime will die. I have conducted the Digital World Police to conduct a thorough investigation of the murder and to see to it that the perpetrator is found and brought to justice. At the same time, the laws of the land that SkullSatamon governed will be vigorously enforced. Our world is strong; our government is strong, and attempts by subversive elements to destroy our world and our government will be stamped out. I have ordered that the cities not only to take effective action to seek out the murderer and to stamp out any acts of rebellion through any means necessary."

The article was followed by a brief biography of SkullSatamon which they did not care to read; among other things it mentioned his "toughness" on the "human problem".

"SkullSatamon was murdered?!" said Hiamon.

"Yes," said Hookmon. "Shocking times, ladies and gentlemen, shocking times!"

Hiamon exchanged glances with Kibamon. He knew what he was thinking. They had not known it before, but the Digimon they had appeared before in the past was none other than the second of Daemon's lieutenants. Which meant …

"But that means there is only one lieutenant left!" said Suraiimon.

"Yes," said the Hookmon, nodding grimly. "The ruler of the skies. But don't you worry, newcomers, I doubt that anyone will mess with _him_."

"Why?" asked Suraiimon. "Is he strong?"

"Very. He is the strongest of Daemon's lieutenants!"

"Well -" said Hiamon. "Who is he?"

"Ah, and therein lies the problem, should anyone want to kill him. Nobody knows."

"Nobody knows?" said Hiamon. Inside, he was crestfallen.

"Arr, yes! That's the thing. Only top government officials would know that. Not only is the third lieutenant the guardian of the skies, but he is also the most powerful of the three and is the top bodyguard for Lord Daemon himself."

"Top bodyguard!"

"Yes. You don't go through Daemon unless you go through his third lieutenant, who, I must add, is said to be his most loyal follower. Not surprising, really, that Lord Daemon would trust someone like that with his life. Not that Lord Daemon is in any trouble, really."

"How powerful is Lord Daemon?" Hiamon asked.

"He is said to be the strongest Digimon in the world. But that should not be surprising. It is said that in his youth, he trained in the wilderness from dawn till dusk, growing his power and mastering his techniques … perhaps he still trains now. He knows that there are elements in this world who hate him and would love nothing better than to see him overthrown … the last King, Piedmon, grew complacent with his power … by the time there was an uprising, it was too late … you see, Lord Daemon is immune to such threats because he is always one step ahead of the opposition. And never fear, the opposition shall never win … these rebels from Midgard will be killed, and, I daresay, the city of Midgard itself will be destroyed."

"Destroyed?"

"Yes. That and Civil City … those are the two cities who are most disloyal to him. Lord Daemon has allowed them to coexist with him, but it will not stay that way. By siding with the rebels, they have sealed their fate."

Hiamon stood in silence, thinking of the inhabitants of those cities. "But surely he won't destroy the _whole _city?" he asked.

Hookmon nodded. "He has destroyed cities in the past. When the humans were taken to the Slaughter, Lord Daemon first attacked the city of London, a human haven. By the time the police descended on the city - or what remained - there were hardly any bodies left to take away. But those humans who did somehow manage to live were taken to the camps. All killed." Hookmon said these words as if he were describing a routine cleaning operation.

"Well," said Hiamon. "I certainly hope that the rebels will be found - and killed."

"Oh, don't you worry about that. Even now, I imagine, Lord Daemon is planning on attacking and destroying the cities of Midgard and Civil. It won't be long now … and yes, a number of loyal Digimon may be killed as well. But think of it this way … if Daemon did not use force this way, then what of the other cities? This city as well might fall under some wicked influence. And what then?"

"Yes," said Hiamon. "Pardon me for asking, but - I am not old enough to remember humans. What were they like? How did they act?"

Hookmon stared at him for a moment, as if he was about to reveal an unpleasant secret. "_Wretched. Disgusting._ Crooked, uneducated, irrational, demanding, free-loading _slugs_. You didn't miss much."

"Did you ever know any humans, though?" Kibamon asked. "Did you go to - school with them?"

"Oh yes," said Hookmon. "I went to school with them. There were some in Dark City. But believe me, just because they lived in Dark City doesn't mean they _stayed _in Dark City. We made certain of that."

"So there were humans in your class at school?"

"Yes - and I'm glad to be free of them." He seemed to consider something for a moment. "You know, I believe that only the strongest survive. And the humans were weak, inferior creatures. Yes, in their dimension they were at the top, but they were big fish in a small pond. The Slaughters were not acts of violence. Rather, it was simply giving Nature a helping hand in wiping them out. All those who are weak are unfit to live …"

In his trance-like state, the Hookmon missed their looks of disgust.

"And Lord Daemon is the strongest, the very strongest. He is a beautiful creature, a master specimen if there ever was one … if only we could attain his beauty … the Digital World is a clock, and he is the clockmaster …"

Something strange had overtaken the Hookmon: he seemed to be in a trance-like state, smiling cruelly as he imagined his master, a look of admiration and extreme evil that Hiamon had not noticed before on his face. But just as suddenly as it appeared, it vanished, and Hookmon changed the subject. "I couldn't help but notice that you said you had no bits. That is too bad. Traveling all this way and no bits?"

Hiamon was unsure as of what to say to this. "We were attacked on the road," he explained. "Thieves. Vaccine Digimon."

Hookmon shook his head. "No doubt, no doubt. Well, that is sorry to hear. But you don't need to worry: I am a wealthy Digimon, and I have money to spend. Here, take these." Hookmon handed Hiamon what looked like five computer chips. "There. One thousand bits right there ought to pay for a hotel for the night. You ought to look up Dark Resorts; I know some of the attendants there. Now you run along and don't you worry about rebellions and the like. Daemon will take them down, just like we all know he will! Good-bye, Hiamon, and long live Lord Daemon!"

"Long live the King!" Hiamon returned. As they walked out the tavern door, he muttered to himself: "May he die violently."

"SkullSatamon is dead!" said Kibamon. "I can't believe it."

"Nor can I," said Suraiimon.

"Me neither," said Mikemon. "Are we sure that he was the second lieutenant?"

"One hundred percent," said Hiamon.

The conversation was continued at the hotel, which did not make them any more comfortable with their surroundings. At the desk, the clerk, a frog-Digimon with a horn, indicated another Digimon with keys to their room, an Apemon.

"Good evening!" said the Digimon.

"Good evening," they returned.

"We would like a room," said Suraiimon.

"All together?" he asked them.

"We would prefer that," said Kibamon. "If there are any rooms available."

"You might be a little cramped, but it will be okay. Good night!" He opened the door for them. "Don't let the Roachmon bite!"

Whether this was a real warning or a joke they were not certain. Once inside their hotel room, they felt even more at ease. There was but one bed, with cracked windows and an old, beaten floor. It was like they had stepped into a room in a haunted house.

"This place gives me the creeps!" said Suraiimon. "And I'm tired of being in my Digimon form. Can't we change back?"

"No," said Kibamon. "Better not. Who knows whether or not someone will come in?"

"Kibamon's right," said Hiamon. "It's too risky - our Digimon forms, for now. In fact, I don't foresee a time we can transform back into humans until Lord - until Daemon is defeated."

Kibamon curled up on the floor. "Were you about to call him Lord Daemon?"

"Yes, I was," said Hiamon. "I was so caught up in conversation with that nasty Hookmon that I must have absorbed some of his speech. What a self-absorbed ass! And his hatred for humans and for vaccine type Digimon is sickening."

"He's a purifier," said Kibamon. "They hate everyone who isn't just like them."

"And what was that crap about?" asked Hiamon. "'The world is a clock, and Daemon is the clockmaster'?"

"Sounds almost like a prayer," said Suraiimon.

"Yeah - it's mad creepy," said Hiamon. "Needless to say, this little trip has really made me cynical of human nature - Digimon nature - of nature in general."

"I guess Civil and Midgard were just exceptions," said Kibamon.

"No kidding!" said Suraiimon. "I guess this is what the _real _Digital World is like."

"I don't know, you guys," said Mekanorimon. His voice was less robotic and more human this time for some reason. "This has really given me second thoughts about this whole thing."

"About _what_?" Hiamon demanded. "About defeating Daemon, about saving the Digital World? Are you crazy?!"

"No," said Mekanorimon. "Well, not … really. It's just that these Digimon don't _want _to be saved. They're in love with Daemon. I hate to say that we should step aside, but …"

Hiamon nailed the transporter Digimon against the wall, a threatening gleam in his eyes. "Don't you ever say that," said the dragon Digimon. "Don't you ever _imply _that this world doesn't need saving! Have you forgotten Piddomon? Or MetalMamemon? Or Jijimon or SaberLeomon or Witchmon and Wizardmon? They're all counting on us to defeat Daemon, and they're all _relying _on us! If we don't defeat Daemon, then who will? When do you think the next human-Digimon are going to show up? And how many Digimon do you think will suffer in the meantime?"

Mekanorimon was taken aback. Though he was a robot Digimon with but one human feature - an eye - the eye was yet the window to the soul and they could all see in it that he was pained to have been misunderstood.

"You've got me wrong," said Mekanorimon. "That's not what I meant at all."

"Takumi, calm down!" Suraiimon chastened.

"HIAMON!" said the dragon Digimon. "Not Takumi. Keep your voice down."

"Sorry," said Suraiimon. "We all want to win this battle just as much as you do - we're just feeling a little down, that's all."

"A little down!?" said Hiamon. "I can't believe you feel that way. I've never been more certain of our chances than right now."

"Why is that?" said Kibamon, looking up.

"Don't you get it?" said Hiamon. "Daemon has been in power this long because nobody has had the courage to stand up to him. Threats of death are an effective way of staying in power! But not any longer. We've sparked something, you guys, because it wouldn't have happened if we hadn't shown up here. If we hadn't come to the Digital World in the first place, then MarineDevimon would still be alive; the army wouldn't have even been formed because their was no morale. But we have a power, you guys - not brute force, but a power to inspire. Don't you get it? Our mere presence is changing this world!"

"But we did more than presence," said Mekanorimon. "We've got to have power too. We defeated MarineDevimon, but what about the third lieutenant?"

"Worry about that later!" said Hiamon. "I have one hundred percent faith that we will meet whatever challenge when we face it. We will win this fight, because in the end we're not the only ones fighting it. Digimon have been fighting Daemon, at least in their hearts, for years - but only in secret. But if we can just get them to come out and fight, then the battle is won. Because in every city, there are Digimon who oppose Daemon who are just too afraid to come out. If we can just get them to come out, then it's over for Daemon's little kingdom - the great silent majority of Digimon who hate Daemon and want him dead."

"Do you really think they're out there?" asked Kibamon.

"They're out there all right. But _we _have to be the ones to lead them to victory." He paused for a moment, looking out the wretched window overlooking the dark forest. "Have you all ever felt like you were purposeless, just drifting with the wind? I thought that way all my life. And then - when I got the power to turn into a Digimon - it was horrible. It was life-changing. But it gave me a _purpose_. It gave all of us a purpose! We didn't know it when we got those powers, but I think it was all planned from the beginning - call it God or destiny or whatever. What are the odds that we were able to turn into Digimon while Daemon was at the height of his power? How many other humans do you think were able to turn into Digimon? Not many!"

"I have that faith too," said Mekanorimon.

"So do I," said Kibamon.

"Me too," added Mikemon.

"But what about Naoki's destiny?" said Suraiimon. "Was he destined to die at the hands of a wild Digimon? Why?"

"Who knows why!" said Hiamon. "Who knows how! I think there is a power at work here that works out for the very best outcome for each of us. Who knows but that Naoki's death might have served some important purpose that we're not yet aware of because we're too blind to see the big picture!"

"But do you really think we can do it?" asked Suraiimon.

"It isn't a question of if. I mean, if you asked me, straight up, do you think we can all defeat Daemon, then I'd say no. How can five Digimon who just got to the Digital World defeat the king of all Digimon? But it will happen. It will because fate compels it so." There was another long pause. "And if not us, who? This is our choice: to make a brave stand, no matter what, win or die, or retreat into obscurity. One path is easy, the other path is difficult and filled with peril. It might lead even to our own deaths. But we have to take that chance, if we say that we really love, if we say that we care about the Digimon who are suffering, then we have to do it. We must. There is no other choice, for if we retreat now then we will have to live for the rest of our lives wondering what if, while everyone around us dies. Don't you get it? Daemon right now is plotting to destroy Civil City and Midgard City. Think of the friends we've made there. Think of the ones who believe in us. We can't let them down."

"If what you're saying is true, then we have to move quickly," said Kibamon. "Every second is precious."

"But where do we go now?" asked Suraiimon.

The Digimon pondered this. "Daemon Palace," Hiamon said finally.

"Daemon Palace?" said Suraiimon.

"You remember. We've been there before. And we have to go back. That's where Daemon is and where I'm certain the third lieutenant is stationed. It's located right in the center of the Digital World. You remember how scary that place was. Well, that's where we have to go."

The reality of the situation finally dawned on them. Their next destination had already been decided.

"I didn't think it would happen so fast," said Suraiimon.

"MarineDevimon is defeated. SkullSatamon is dead. And the third lieutenant is always where Daemon is. So there's no doubting it. We must go to Daemon Palace."

"This is scary," said Suraiimon.

"It is scary," said Hiamon.

"This is - unexpected," said Mikemon. "I didn't think we would get there that quickly!"

"It is unexpected, but so has everything that's happened to us so far. I expect more surprises down the road. We've never really had a set plan. It's like driving with the headlights on - you know your destination, and you know what's in front of you, but you're still in darkness for the most part. It's the darkness that we're going to have to prepare for."

"So our next stop is Daemon Palace," said Kibamon. "We start there tomorrow?"

"Why do we have to go tomorrow?" Suraiimon fretted. "We need time. We need to train. How are we going to defeat Daemon like we are now?"

Hiamon looked at her - it was not a glare, but it was a forceful look that solidly expressed his sentiments. "You and I both know that all the training in the world won't do us any good. We don't have much time. I would leave right now if we could. Just staying the night concerns me, because for all we know Daemon and his forces are descending on Civil and Midgard cities right now."

"This is so scary," said Suraiimon again.

"This is what we wanted, though," said Hiamon. "And this is what MetalMamemon wanted. We fired the first shot. It's our responsibility to bring the battle to its completion. I know you're all nervous. I'm nervous too. But I feel that the fates are with us. Maybe I'm wrong. But if I'm wrong, at least we will die for a noble cause."

There was no more talking for the rest of the night. Everyone knew of the perilous circumstances at hand. Yet there was something of peaceful resignation in the way they all slept that night - when they awoke the next day, they were completely refreshed, and there was nothing in the way of dreams to bother them. They checked out of the dilapidated motel the next day, surrendering their keys to the very-suspicious Apemon, who smiled darkly as if he had a special surprise in store for the next occupants.

They spoke little as they exited Dark City, by far the most unappealing of the three cities they had visited. As they did, they met with a frightening scene - the main street had become the center of some grim parade. Digimon swarmed the streets, their expressions anything but celebratory. Rather, dark moods seemed to have overtaken them, and they looked violent, positively murderous. They stood and watched as the float made its way through the street, hailed by sinister black confetti.

"Long live Daemon!" said the Digimon who were riding it. They appeared to be young Digimon, rookies at the most. "Long live Daemon! May the rebels die!"

"Lord Daemon!"

"Lord Daemon!"

"Kill all rebels! May they bathe in blood!"

"This is horrible," said Suraiimon. "They're so young!"

"This is why we're fighting," said Hiamon. "So that these Digimon don't grow up filled with hatred."

"Long live Daemon!"

"LONG LIVE DAEMON!"

"Kill the rebels!"

"All those who hate Daemon will die!"

"Love of the King is the highest love! Long live Lord Daemon!"

"The New World Order is upon us! Those who are imperfect will be killed!"

The young Digimon continued with their conditioned threats, as the parade continued through to the streets to the wild and angry yells of the crowd . . .

_Next time on Digimon Genesis!_

_The children walk the road to Daemon Palace, recounting their past experiences, keeping in mind that death might be near. Overhead, dark clouds loom. And, will the humans reestablish contact with a former ally? Find out on the next Digimon Genesis!_

_ROAD TO PERDITION_

As always, please continue to read and review as this 'arc' nears it close. The next few chapters will be crucial to the story, so please don't stop now! A number of questions that have pervaded throughout the series will be answered. Again, please review! Any comment, anything, would be very welcome.


	35. Road to Perdition

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon. But if I did, I would make sure it was back on the air …_

_Previously on Digimon Genesis!_

_The children traveled to Dark City, where they were horrified by the mentality of the virus Digimon who inhabited it. There, they learned that SkullSatamon, the second of Daemon's lieutenants, had been murdered, beheaded by his own guillotine, and that the third lieutenant resided at Daemon's palace, serving as Daemon's top bodyguard! Thus informed, the children made the difficult decision of traveling the long and arduous road to Daemon Palace, the stakes being too high for inaction …_

**DIGIMON GENESISCHAPTER XXXV **

**ROAD TO PERDITION**

The children left Dark City at mid-afternoon, shortly after the "parade" that exalted Daemon and called for the murder of the rebels. Their stay their had not only disgusted them, but had lowered their morale considerably: they wondered for a time if the Digimon wanted the world to be saved, or if their cause was even worth fighting for. It was only the knowledge that the rebel army and the friends they had made were in trouble that gave them the strength to keep going. They would need all the strength they could get - the road to Daemon Palace was a long one, which they knew all too well, having traveled it before. It was a long, winding path that passed through the wilderness of the Digital World, a place where uncivilized Digimon and other brutes lived. And when they were out of the woods, there was still the matter of Daemon. They had little confidence in their ability to defeat him. But for the prophecy, there might have been no crusade, for they had such little faith in themselves that they found it hard to step one foot in front of the other.

Takumi was the most optimistic of the bunch, and he was neutral on the matter. He had resigned himself to his fate. Perhaps most importantly, he also believed in the nobility of the cause. The children's faith in their action had been eroded, but the memories of their friends - of MetalMamemon, of SaberLeomon, of Piddomon and Witchmon and Wizardmon, kept them going.

They were in their human forms now; they saw no reason to disguise their identity: if they were found out, then all the better for them, and all the worse for their enemies. They did not need to keep in hiding, for soon they would reveal themselves to Daemon and any cover would be meaningless.

"Should we ever meet Daemon face-to-face," said Shun, "I want him to make sure that he knows we're humans. Imagine if five humans can defeat the most powerful Digimon in the world!"

"But we're not human," said Reina. "We're part-Digimon, remember? And we'll be in our Digimon forms when we defeat him." She stopped herself. "_If _we defeat him." There was another pause. "And that's a big if."

They considered this for a while as they once again walked the road that was situated in the thick of the dark forest. Overhead, ominous clouds cast a shadow over their movements, and they looked around cautiously, to avoid a surprise attack. None came however, and soon they grew used to the monotony of the road travel, sustained only by conversation.

"I've been thinking," said Takumi.

"About what?" asked Ryota.

"Someone had to have murdered SkullSatamon. Who do you think did it?"

"Whoever he is, he must be on our side," said Reina. She looked at Takumi. "Or it could have been a whole group of Digimon. Have you considered that?"

"I haven't really considered it at all," said Takumi. "I just thought of it right now. You know, things have been really tense lately. Lots of things going on. I've hardly had time to consider anything."

"Do you think that we have allies somewhere that we don't know what?" said Shun.

"It must take a lot of courage to go to Daemon Palace in the middle of the night!" said Yuka.

"Yeah …" said Takumi, thinking. "And just being able to defeat SkullSatamon means it must have been a very powerful Digimon that did it. Whoever he is, I just hope he can take down the other lieutenant, too!"

"Maybe our battle with MarineDevimon encouraged some Digimon," said Ryota. "Perhaps they had been harboring thoughts of rebellion for years, so when they got an opportunity, they finally did it. I can't say I'm surprised. Success seems to bring about more success."

"But what happens if we don't win this time?" said Shun. "You have to admit, it doesn't look good for us."

"It doesn't matter what's going to happen," said Takumi. "We know what the right thing to do is. It would be evil _not _to do it. So we're going to do it, win or lose, live or die."

They walked along the road some more. They kept walking and walking. In the trees, birds chirped - it was not a happy chirp, but chirps just as ominous as the clouds overhead.

"Do you guys remember the first time you turned into Digimon?" asked Shun suddenly.

"Do I?" said Ryota. "Yeah … but it's really not worth remembering."

"Not mine either," said Shun.

"Or mine," said Reina, giving Takumi a look.

"Yeah, I remember it," said Takumi. "As much as I try to repress that memory. It seems so long ago … but it wasn't, was it? It just seems so long since we've been in our world."

"It seems like years!" said Reina.

"You're telling me," said Ryota.

"We've done so much here that it seems like a lot of time has passed," said Takumi. "I think it's because we have a purpose. When you have a purpose, life goes by faster, but it's more satisfying. When you're clueless, you wander through life, it goes by slow, but it's much more unhappy. In fact, that was what I was doing before I had the power to turn into a Digimon."

"Do you remember the first time, Takumi?" asked Reina. She had a sweet look in her eyes, and Takumi had to relate it to her.

"It was at nighttime," said Takumi. "My mother was gone. And then I went for a walk and … I saw this kid I knew at school. I didn't like him much at all. But to tell you the truth, I hadn't really thought of him … it was just weird that I saw him when I did. Freaky. But anyway, I got angry … I lost control … I went into my Digimon form and I …" He paused. "… Killed him."

Reina put her hand on his shoulder. Takumi had not thought of this incident for a long time, but he still felt a sharp tinge of guilt, less pronounced than in the past, but still present nonetheless.

"Don't worry, Takumi," said the girl. "It wasn't your fault."

"Of course it wasn't our fault," said Ryota. "None of us were at fault. It was the Shadow Gang. I can't believe they would perform those experiments on us!"

"They made it totally impossible for us to live in our world," said Shun. "We had no choice but to go to this one."

"Listen, you guys," said Takumi. "I'm not one to pass judgment on the Shadow Gang. Sure, they made some mistakes … but we have to remember, we're talking about four people. And one of them, Stone, was actually pretty nice." His thoughts returned to the man he had once known as Flint Shale, his former guidance counselor. That he was a member of the Shadow Gang had come as a complete shock to him. At the time, he felt betrayed. Yet, he knew he couldn't be a bad person because he had been a friend of Kairu Hito. Anyone who was a friend of his dad's couldn't have been bad …

"Yeah?" said Ryota. "So what? One out of four isn't good enough for me."

"Don't you understand, guys? They chose us for a reason. They probably didn't know what they were doing when they chose us, but I think _someone _was leading them to do it."

"You mean God?" asked Reina.

"God … fate … whatever it was, we're here today. And if we hadn't been chosen, then there would be no one to rescue the world from Daemon."

"That still doesn't mean they're not bad people," said Ryota. "Just because their actions had unintended good effects doesn't mean that their actions weren't immoral."

"Or amoral," said Takumi.

"What?"

"I was just saying. I don't think they're bad people. I just don't think they have any morals. They're _amoral, _not _immoral._ Except for Stone. I think he's pretty good."

Ryota grumbled impatiently. "Who cares? What I'm saying is, even if God or whatever intervened doesn't make them any less bad. Maybe He uses bad people for good things. Who knows. But we still haven't beaten Daemon. So who knows what the effects of their actions will be?"

"Who knows?" said Takumi. "But we know what's good _now._ So we have to do it."

"Right," Reina agreed.

"You know if I could just get all these days of my life that have been _lost _because of this damn Digimon crap …" said Ryota. "I can remember the first time I transformed and it was the most traumatic experience of my life."

"I remember that day!" said Takumi. "That was a horrible day, even before you transformed. I had been so worried that I would be discovered for murdering that kid -"

"Don't say murder, Takumi," said Reina sympathetically. "It's not murder if you didn't mean to do it."

"- I was worried I would be found out, and then I went to the bus stop like everything was normal. And you were there. And we fought -"

"What were we fighting about?" asked Ryota. "I can't remember."

"Something stupid," said Takumi. "It was easy to transform unintentionally back then! I don't know why. Maybe we were just so angry all the time. Anyway, you transformed into Kibamon and I transformed into Hiamon."

"That was horrible," said Ryota. "Sometimes that fight still comes back to me. I can't quite remember it … I wasn't really conscious … but parts of it come back from time to time. It's like a nightmare."

"I know," said Takumi. "We really fought that time, didn't we? Almost tore up our neighborhood. If it hadn't been for Naoki I don't know what might have happened."

They were silent again. Everyone was thinking the same thing.

"Naoki!" said Reina. "He was such a sweet little boy. I can't believe that _he _was the one who found out the truth about this whole thing. How come he knew so much when he was so young?"

"He was so smart," said Yuka admiringly.

"He was," said Shun. "He was really smart. Possibly a genius IQ. If only he would have lived! He would have gone far." He said this as though this was something he could never achieve.

"And remember, he was younger than us," said Takumi. "So he was able to control his Digimon form. So much childhood innocence and not enough adolescent angst."

"Naoki knew everything!" said Ryota. "He knew how to use the D-Powers, he knew how to transform. He knew that we had been chosen for something, that his was not an isolated event, and he knew about Digimon who passed through the portal to our world! It's hard to imagine where we would be without him."

"Naoki," said Reina. "Oh, he didn't deserve to die!"

"I'll tell you who did deserve to die," said Takumi.

"Who?" said the others.

"That girl, Miho," said Takumi.

"What a drama queen she was!" said Ryota.

"I remember her," said Shun. "She was bad from the start. I was never happy about being on the same side as her. There was always something that _bothered _me about her. I always thought she was a mean, nasty person. But I never thought she would betray us like that."

"She deserved what she got," reiterated Takumi. "I don't have a bit of remorse for her."

Reina looked at him. "I think you're being too hard on her, Takumi. She was crazy. She had a bad life! She didn't have a father."

"I didn't have a father either!" Takumi protested. "That doesn't mean I betrayed my friends …" He took on a calmer tone. "Yeah - Miho, what a basket case. I'm just glad we won't have to deal with her ever again."

"I'm with you there!" said Shun. "I have to say, I'm glad I'm sharing this adventure with you guys. You're all the best people I've ever met - and I really mean that."

"I feel the same way," said Takumi. Everyone else agreed.

"I have to say, though, when you first joined the gang, Shun, I was a little skeptical," said Ryota.

"Why?"

"Well - I mean, you had a reputation as bit of a troublemaker and … well, I wasn't too sure you'd fit in. It just seemed unlikely that you'd turn out as you are now." "What do you mean?"

"Well - I just didn't expect it. You surprised me. You surprised all of us."

Shun looked from Ryota to Takumi, but try as he did, he could not hide his beaming face.

"Yeah, I certainly didn't expect things to go well," said Takumi, hoping to lessen Shun's embarrassment, "especially when I met your Digimon form! You really put up a fight that day. And Yuka …" He looked at the quietest member of your group. "Your first transformation wasn't dramatic at all!"

"But mine was," said Reina.

"I'm sorry for doing that," Takumi said quietly.

Reina looked at him, biting her lip. "But it's all for a purpose, right?"

"I sure hope so."

They returned to their discussion.

"You know, back home we're all still missing," said Shun.

"They probably think we all ran away together!" said Yuka.

"But we did," said Takumi. "But they can search our whole world but they'll never find us."

"Wow," said Reina. "I've never thought of that."

"And they think I'm _dead_," said Shun.

They were all quiet for a few seconds, pondering this.

"I'm tired!" said Shun at last, stretching. "Let's settle down somewhere. Eat some lunch."

"Yeah," said Takumi. "Good thing we had enough bits for food."

"Wouldn't it be ironic if instead of being killed by Daemon or his lieutenant, we starve to death?" said Ryota.

"Not ironic," said Takumi. "Terrible."

They all sat down and did as Shun advised them, for, reflecting upon it, they found that they were all hungry. Reina had purchased a small picnic blanket earlier and set it down in a clearing in the forest. It made for a romantic setting in an otherwise dismal place.

"This is just like home!" said Reina, looking at Takumi.

"I guess," said Takumi. "But I can't remember eating food like this."

The food was indeed strange, a sort of crunchy bread that was somehow sweet. For the first time in quite some they relaxed, everyone appreciating the strangeness of the situation, that they were sitting back to enjoy a meal while the Digital World underwent so much strife. Toward the end of lunch they heard a strange sound and three of them went to investigate, leaving Takumi and Reina alone to clean up.

"Don't you miss our world at all?" said the girl, folding the picnic blanket while Takumi took the other side.

"A little," Takumi replied. "Not anything about the world in particular that I miss. Just the people there. I sort of miss my mother." His mother. He had not thought of her in a while. What was she doing now?

Reina looked at Takumi. "We have to go back, you know."

"Go … back?"

"Do you really think we'll stay here forever? Takumi, this is a great world and all, but it's not ours. After we defeat Daemon -" She looked flustered, as if this was difficult to contemplate, "- _If _we defeat Daemon, we're going to have to go back. I haven't realized this before now, Takumi, but I really miss my parents!"

"But how are we going to get back?" asked Takumi. "We don't know how. If there was an easy way out of this world, then most of the Digimon would be leaving by now, don't you think? I hate to say this, but I think we're stuck. It might be a good thing, actually. If we could leave so easily, we might avoid tackling Daemon."

"But Takumi I'm homesick!" said Reina. "I love the Digital World. I love the Digimon, I love the food … I don't like the persecution and the prejudice and the madness. But I miss Japan. And I miss my family. And Takumi, I'm not sure if I'm ever going to see them again!" Takumi watched a tear roll down her cheek.

"Hey," said Takumi, taking her arm. "Don't you worry. If you want to go back, we can do that. We'll find a way."

This seemed to comfort her for a little while, and before long the others returned.

"What of the sound?" asked Takumi.

"False alarm!" said Ryota. "We haven't found anything."

"We had better be careful," said Takumi. "We don't know what Digimon might be roaming these woods …"

* * *

"Ignorant fools."

He watched them through the globe, could easily discern their faces, hear their conversation, their longings for home. He was in a dark place, the only light emanated from the globe. A cold, sinister hand was upon it, like a hand from the grave.

From the corner there came a raspy, ambiguous voice.

"Master, the humans are close! I can feel them."

"You will have your chance. The humans are currently roaming through the Black Forest. When they finally get here, then you can go."

"But Master, let me get to them now! They will be easier to kill when they are not expecting it."

"No. I forbid it - let them get good and ready. Let us level the playing field as much as possible, so that their defeat will be all the more humiliating. Once they are good and dead, we shall parade their bodies through the streets. The prospect is almost erotic!"

The servile Digimon having been rebuked, the room seemed to grow darker still, as if some force even greater had put out the light …

* * *

"… So everyone keep on guard. Remember the Darkrizamon that attacked us earlier. There's no telling what might be in these woods."

"I agree with Takumi," said Ryota. "We had better be prepared to transform at any moment."

"Are we there yet?" said Yuka, issuing an uncharacteristic complaint. "My feet hurt!"

"Mine too," said Reina.

"Yeah, I'm just about tired," said Shun.

"We just took a break!" said Takumi. "Are you all really that tired already?"

"We've been walking for hours, Takumi. Hours! When do you expect we'll reach Daemon Palace, anyway?"

"I don't know," said Takumi. "I'm not sure of the distance. But if you ask me -"

They all noticed what he had been seeing at the same time. In the distance, a dark spot where it seemed no light could shine through. It was like a setting sun, only an extreme black color that was somehow darker than the night, darker than the darkest color they had ever seen. It looked oddly beautiful, and yet paralyzed them with a sense of foreboding. There was no doubt that if this far-off place was not Daemon Palace then it was something sinister.

"Is that it?" said Ryota, with just the hint of a gasp.

"Could be," said Takumi. "It's definitely nothing like anything I've ever seen."

"Oh, that's it," said Yuka. "I can feel it."

"That must be it," said Reina. "It looks so … evil. And I don't want to go, Takumi. I'm scared!" They were the words of someone who was facing the inevitable, but was nonetheless terrified at the prospect.

Takumi held her hand tightly. "Don't worry," he said. "I'm scared too." He was not sure how that would reassure her, but it reassured him. Standing on the precipice of death, he held her hand and he felt scared no more. He was never more confident in their choice to confront Daemon.

"How far off are we?" said Shun.

"Not that far," said Ryota. "From the looks of it."

"Just a couple of miles," said Takumi. That was far, but only a fraction of what they had traveled.

"I can't believe we're almost there," said Yuka.

"It seems like just yesterday we decided to leave home for good. Remember that, Takumi?" She looked at him as they walked along the road.

"Yeah, I do," said Takumi. "We didn't know what to do then. Now that I think about it, I wonder what we would have done. Sometimes things don't really make sense in retrospect, do they?"

"That was the day I transformed into my ultimate form," said Ryota. "The tail-end of our time in our world."

"Yeah, and you almost destroyed the entire school! Well, if that didn't clue the people in on Digimon, then nothing will. Of course, the Shadow Gang did a pretty adept job at covering things up - though I doubt they would be able to cover something up of that proportion."

"The Shadow Gang!" said Shun. "They were right under our nose this whole time. Remember that reporter guy? He was in the Shadow Gang."

"Ryan Royama," said Takumi. "Yeah. He was 'Quiz' if I recall correctly - his code name. I wonder what they're doing now. They must be bored back home, with no incidents to attend to."

"They might actually have to get jobs!" said Shun.

"Hmm," said Takumi, scratching his chin. "If I recall, 'Shadow' was the only one who didn't have a job. What was his real name again?"

"That guy gave me the creeps," said Yuka. "I didn't like him at all."

"Yeah - something about him strikes me odd too," said Shun. "And his name was Tekkan Shintaro, Takumi."

"Ah!" said Takumi. "Yeah, I remember now."

"Do you all remember 'Search'?" said Reina.

"Yeah, I remember her!" said Yuka. "She was the woman. She was kind of nice, actually. I liked her."

"She worked in the juvenile detention center I went to!" said Shun. "I always thought she had a particular interest in me. Now I know why."

"And of course, we all remember Flint Shale - or 'Stone' rather," said Takumi.

"Man, who would have imagined that he was one of them?" said Ryota.

"At the time, I thought Mr. Mes was one of them."

"Mr. Mes?" said Reina. "The janitor?"

"Yeah," said Takumi. "I guess I was wrong about that … he was too stupid to be a member of the Shadow Gang."

"That's for sure," said Ryota. "You can call those people plenty of names, but stupid is not one of them."

"That's right, they're smart - eerily clever. Even though they're not very good people …"

"They wanted to explore the Digital World," said Reina. "They thought it was theirs for the taking. But they needed Digimon to do it …"

"And only kids like us could control themselves in the Digimon forms … at least, exert the most control. Adults just couldn't handle it and went crazy."

"Huh," said Ryota.

"Hmm," said Reina. "Does that mean - when we get older - our transformations will be harder to control?"

"I'm not sure," said Takumi. "I think it's anger or passion that ignites the transformation. The thing is that adults often have more stress than children and are more likely to undergo the transformation process … so it depends. But I have a theory, a Naoki-like theory, really …"

"A Naoki-like theory?" said Ryota.

"One that he would approve of. I think that the longer we stay in our Digimon forms, then the better control we'll have over them. So if an adult was given some of the potion, they would be wild at first - but over time, they would eventually gain control over themselves. That's my theory anyway."

"Makes sense," said Ryota.

"Aah! We've been talking about so much theory that I've almost forgotten about the main task - defeating Daemon."

"Don't worry," said Reina. "The growing castle on the horizon ought to keep you alert!"

They stopped.

"It's getting dark," said Takumi. "I think we're all a little tired. I don't think anyone expects us to get to Daemon Palace before the night is over."

"Yeah …" said Ryota. "But is it dark because the day is ending, or is it getting darker because we're approaching the palace?"

Takumi looked around. "That's a good question," he said.

"Oh, Takumi, I'm tired. I don't want to have the stress of battling Daemon tonight!"

"Don't worry," he assured her. "I think we're all about ready to rest. But tomorrow, we have to get into high gear. Remember, we're not just doing this for ourselves. Every second we wait increases the chance that an innocent Digimon is going to get killed."

They were silent. "That puts things in perspective," said Ryota.

"I almost want to go tonight!" said Yuka. She looked down at the grassy floor. "But then again, I don't."

"We need some rest," Takumi decided. "It's getting dark fast! I almost can't see where I'm going. Let's get into the forest some more, away from the road. We don't know who might travel here at night, and I doubt we want to meet them."

"Anyone who wants to go to Daemon Palace except to kill Daemon must be a bad character!" said Ryota.

"Yeah," said Shun. "Remember being picked up by Phelesmon?"

Another memory had been stirred. "Yeah, that was weird!" said Takumi. "I can't help but feel sorry for him though - a kidnapped daughter, and he must be going senile by now. That's my best guess."

"It's hard to believe that _he _was behind all those deaths at Purification Camp," said Reina. "And just to build that freak of a Digimon. What was he planning to do, anyway?"

"I don't know," said Ryota, shrugging his shoulders. "It's all a mystery to me."

"I feel so sorry for him," said Yuka. "He must really be crazy. Remember when he thought that we were the ones who had kidnapped his daughter?"

"Yeah!" said Takumi. "Totally freaky - picking up random people on the street like that! That was when we first went to Daemon Palace, remember that? We didn't know it at the time, but some very evil Digimon were there that day."

"Not all of them were evil," said Reina.

"Huh?"

"Remember the Angewomon that was there? We were put in that dungeon down there, and she freed us."

"I had almost forgotten about that!" said Takumi. "It seems so long ago. But that enabled us to go to Civil City where we found friendly Digimon. That was lucky on our part. Lucky for us that she was there - can you think of what would have happened if we were recognized as humans? You can forget about a trial. You can forget about everything!"

"I wonder what possessed her to free us," said Ryota.

"Common decency," said Takumi. "Yes, there are some bad Digimon in this world - but there are lots of good ones too. It's just our luck that the bad ones have total control right now."

"Not for long," said Ryota.

"Let's hope so!" said Takumi.

Ryota had expressed the hopes of all, that Daemon's domination over the Digital World was nearing its end, but it was hard to be optimistic when they knew they were up against tough odds. Finally they turned in for the day. Regardless of what time it was, they all felt tired and decided to camp in the forest again. They would have to have a night watch out again. Takumi gladly took up the offer, as he was not as tired as the rest of them. He was worried, however, of potentially losing sleep and being too tired to perform ably on their most crucial day.

It was a lonely, rather boring hour or two he kept guard, with scarcely a sound that aroused his suspicions. Finally Ryota emerged from where he had been sleeping and said he would take over.

"You tired, man?" he said.

"Yeah - a little," Takumi admitted. "I'm worrying about getting to sleep. You know, I try to be optimistic, but at the same time I can't see how we're going to defeat Daemon - and yet, I've never been more certain of our actions. I know that we're supposed to be here, right now."

"Yeah," said Ryota. They sat in silence for a little while. "Do you think his lieutenant is going to be tough?"

"That will be our first fight," said Takumi. "If we can get into the castle first - I haven't even thought about that. There's going to be guards."

"No doubt."

"We can probably take them. I'm just worried that by then, we'll be too weakened to take on his lieutenant, and then he'll blow us away."

"Huh."

"He's supposed to be the most powerful of the three, and we didn't even get to battle SkullSatamon at the intermediate level. And we just barely beat MarineDevimon, even with four ultimates. So it's going to be tough either way. We'll have to just - pray for the best, I guess."

"I will," said Ryota. There was silence again. "You know, I agree with what you said earlier - about purpose. You know, for the first time, really, in my whole life I feel like I'm living for a purpose. It's not that I wasn't happy before or that I thought my life was meaningless, it's just - I don't know. I just feel so passionate about this struggle."

"Yeah," said Takumi.

"You know, it wasn't so long ago that we arrived in the Digital World. We had a traumatic first couple of days. Remember?"

"Yeah. It didn't really let up until we got to Civil City."

"And not even then! Do you remember when you saw your father's name on that billboard, and you just went - crazy?"

"I was sick with rage," Takumi admitted. "I finally thought I was going to find out what happened to my father. I had no idea that the Slaughter had happened. I felt that SaberLeomon had been leading me on, with promises that I was actually going to find my dad. So I just - collapsed. And I took it out on everyone."

"We've had our share of meltdowns recently," said Ryota. "I don't blame you, though. Of course, who am I to speak? My father's still alive. But if I heard that he was dead - and killed in that way - then I'd be angry too …"

"I just have to say, having a father is the best thing of all. And it's sort of strange for me to say that, since I've never felt that experience. But having two parents who love you - there's nothing that can beat that. I think I always wanted to have a father. I had been looking, desperately, for a father figure … someone to teach me, you know, help me out … someone who is there … and when I stopped looking I found myself."

"Yeah," said Ryota. "I wish things had turned out that way."

"What?"

"Having your father be alive. It's hard to imagine, though, I guess, having history - your history - changed in such a way. You might be a completely different person."

"It's hard to say," said Takumi. "I might be. It's hard for me to see my mother with someone. She's been working all her life, ever since my father left. She never remarried or, I think, ever saw someone. I don't know how I would have reacted if she had gone out with someone. Maybe I would have been jealous. Or maybe I would have been happy with her. I don't know. I just hated to see her alone - alone to face whatever life threw her way, with no one to help her. Alone to raise a kid, just barely making more than the minimum wage. You know, now that I think about it, she's probably the one person who wanted my father back more than I did. I never got to know him. She did."

There was more silence. Ryota must have thought it was awkward; Takumi had never told this to anyone. And he wasn't sure if he had confided even in himself about this. But for so long he had been alone, searching, wondering …

"You better get some sleep," said Ryota. It wasn't a way of dismissing him, it was simply good advice.

"Yeah …" said Takumi. "You know, I wonder if it wouldn't be best to just forego guarding the place tonight -"

"No, that wouldn't work -"

"- but I know that wouldn't work. So, I guess I'd better go to sleep now."

"Yeah," said Ryota. "The others are a little restless too. Shun was tossing and turning. Yuka I think didn't get to sleep for about an hour. Everyone knows that tomorrow is going to be a tough day." He paused. "It might even be the day that we die."

This was a sobering thought, but it was something they had known now for a long time, at least unconsciously.

"Yeah," said Takumi. "But if I had a choice - do this and die - or don't do this and live - I would pick the first choice in a heartbeat. If only because I don't want to spend the rest of my life knowing that I could have done something, while watching this world fall into chaos. Prophecy or not, we have to do this. I feel like my life has been building up to something. This might be it."

"The same here," said Ryota. "Takumi … if tomorrow we die … I just want to say, I'm glad that I was able to be your friend. To tell the truth, I don't know what I would do without you."

"Thanks," said Takumi. It was sincere gratitude. He had never expected to hear this from Ryota, and yet this was all Takumi could really say in response. "I feel … the same way. And to think we might have hated each other had it not been for this whole Digimon mess!"

"That's how fate works," said Ryota. In the scanty bit of light Takumi could make out a small smile on his face.

"Yeah. And I just want to say - if there's an afterlife, I hope you're in it. You know, something tells me that tomorrow won't be the last time we'll see each other. My view is either we defeat Daemon and live, or that we die and live on … where we'll be I don't know … but I know you'll be there."

"There are so many different worlds," said Ryota. "There's our world, the Digital World … who's to say there isn't another world where our souls go when we die?"

"I sure hope so," said Takumi. "But even if there's nothing beyond, if this is all there is, I want to do the right thing. And I think we all know what that one thing is."

"I know," said Ryota. He paused. "You know, Takumi, I was really distressed when Naoki got killed. We were leaderless. I thought that we were all going to die from our lack of leadership. But you stepped in. You didn't step in all at once, but gradually, you became a leader. I don't think we'd be here today if it weren't for you urging us on. I think Naoki would be proud. And I think your father would be proud."

Takumi, stunned, could hardly muster out anything other than a "thank you". There was an awkward silence between the two, but in reality it was the greatest compliment he had received. Growing sleepy, Takumi returned to the forest floor - more confident than ever that, regardless of whether success or failure or life or death lay ahead of them, that they were on the verge of doing a brave and righteous act.

"Father," he said, his face pressed to the ground, addressing the spirit of his parent for the first time, "I will avenge your memory."

_Next time on Digimon Genesis!_

_As the children prepare for their battle against Daemon and his lieutenant, the Shadow Gang makes contact! However, the digital humans have little time for chatting and proceed to enter Daemon Palace, which they find stock full of evil Digimon aiming to kill them! Then, a battle with Daemon's most formidable servant, and an enemy makes himself known … all next time on the next Digimon Genesis:_

_HELTER SKELTER_

As always, be sure to comment on latest installments and tell me what you think. Reviews are like fuel … so if you want me to keep writing, keep on reviewing! Thank you to everyone who has kept up with the story so far, putting up with excessive delays and other problems. I will be sure to make the rest of this fan fiction as good as it can possibly be.


	36. Helter Skelter

_Previously on Digimon Genesis! As the hoped-for saviors of the Digital World traveled the road to Daemon Palace, they were confronted with the stark reality of the situation: that their battle with Daemon and his lieutenant would be their toughest ever, and that death may lie in wait. Still, they pressed on, buoyed by their past experiences and their faith in themselves. Can they do it? Find out - now!_

**DIGIMON GENESISCHAPTER XXXVI**

**HELTER SKELTER**

They rose the next day almost simultaneously and found themselves oddly full of energy despite the fact that their sleep had been disturbed and did not meet the requisite number of hours. Takumi awoke, and his first thoughts were not the dizzying kind expected when one awakes, but full of cognition and sober recognition that today would yield their most crucial battle yet - and, perhaps, the one that would end their lives.

"All right, gang!" he said to them. "Let's press on - we'll have some breakfast first. But after that, it's game time. The sooner we get to that palace, the better."

"Takumi," said Reina. "Don't you think it's odd? I would have expected the road to the palace would be full of evil Digimon waiting to kill us. Yet, the only one we've met was that wild Darkrizamon. I know it sounds crazy, but I would feel more comfortable if we were constantly being attacked . . ."

"I know," Takumi agreed. "It does seem a little eerie. But maybe it would seem eerie no matter what. This is Daemon we're talking about, after all."

"Do you think he knows what we're doing?" Reina asked.

"It's hard to say," said Takumi. "I would guess not. But then again, who knows?"

"If Daemon wants a fight," said Ryota. "We'll bring him one. I feel like I'm on the top of my game today!"

"That's the spirit!" said Takumi. "Yuka, how do you feel?"

"I don't know," said the shy girl, "but I guess I'm ready."

"Shun? How about yourself?"

"Oh, I'm ready all right," Shun returned. "I'm going to digivolve to Knightmon and slice his head off!"

"It won't be that easy," Takumi warned. "But still, give it your all regardless. Does everyone agree that we will fight to the bitter end? There will be no surrender."

"Right!" all agreed.

"I think that's the most dangerous thing about it all - that we'll lose our willpower when the going gets tough. And it's going to be tough. Remember, this guy isn't the king of the Digital World for nothing."

"But before we beat him, we're going to have to beat his bodyguard," Shun pointed out.

"That's right!" said Takumi. "The final lieutenant. He'll be a tough fight, no doubt. But I think we can beat him."

They all agreed that no matter what the outcome, they would be satisfied, for they would do all they could do. They knew deep down inside that their failure to overthrow the government would mean the destruction of the rebel army, and this weighed heavily upon them - but they knew they would fight to the bitter end and would have no regrets.

They had breakfast in a clearing in the forest. Beyond, they could make out the darkness where Daemon Palace lay, where it seemed no light could penetrate. They were keenly aware that this could be their last meal. They talked - they tried to keep the conversation light, but this was impossible. The upcoming battle terrified them all, but it was a good fear, the sort that drove people to action. They were almost finished putting their nearly exhausted provisions back when they heard a noise that frightened them. They realized at the same time that their D-Pendulums were vibrating, and all at once they withdrew them.

"Come in children! Come in!"

It was a voice that they had heard before. Suddenly from each of their D-Pendulums there came a hologram similar to the hologram that emerged from the ToyAgumon, but appearing in it for the first time was the image of a human.

Takumi looked at the figure, stunned. "It's Shadow!" Indeed, the face of the man known as Tekkan Shintaro, leader of the Shadow Gang, appeared before them all.

"Yes," said Shadow.

There came a woman's voice as well. "We made contact!"

"Search?" said Ryota. "Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me!" said Diana Watari, code-named Search. She too appeared in the beam of light, sharing it with Shadow.

"We're all here," came a voice, a very familiar one. It was a voice that Takumi had not heard in some time: his former guidance counselor, Stone, alias Flint Shale.

"Mr. Shale!" said Takumi. "How were you able to make contact with us?"

"We've been working on the technology for some time," Shadow explained.

"Yes!" came another voice, the man code-named Quiz, who was really the newscaster, Ryan Royama. "Even since before you left, we've been attempting to construct a technology that would allow us to speak with you from our world."

"How is the Digital World?" asked Shadow. "Are there Digimon about?"

"Yeah!" said Shun. "And boy, do we have some stuff to tell you. This world is ruled by a Digimon king, Daemon, and we're going to fight him soon!"

Stone arched his eyebrows. "And you have learned all this, in the few minutes since you left us?"

"Huh?" said Takumi. "What do you mean, a few minutes?"

"Well, isn't it obvious?" said Ms. Watari. "You just went through the gate a few minutes ago!"

"A few minutes!" said Takumi. "It's been days - weeks!"

Far from being surprised by this, Shadow merely nodded his head. "So, my theory is correct. Time flows differently in the Digital World than it does here - as it should."

"You've known about this?" said Takumi, astonished.

"Known? No, it was merely a theory of mine … one that turned out to be correct. It is lucky we got to this technology quickly, or it may have been many years before we reached you …"

"Well, that's a good thing!" said Takumi, almost angrily. "I guess it's hard to be mad at you all for not reaching us sooner when it was an impossibility. Still, we would have liked to have your help."

"How would we have helped you?" asked Royama. "You know more about the Digital World than we have. Remember, we have never stepped foot in it. We only have theories."

"Yeah, theories!" said Takumi. "Because you were too lazy to go to the Digital World yourself."

"Remember, Takumi," said Stone, "we …"

"We didn't have a choice!" said Shadow. "If we could leave this world, don't you think we would have already? But it's not safe. We can't become Digimon because we wouldn't be able to control yourselves."

"Takumi," said Stone, "have you learned anything about your father? If what you say is true, then there is in fact a civilization in the Digital World. We thought it was all wild."

"There _is _a civilization, if that's what you can call it," said Takumi. "But not civilized by our standards. For one thing, humans are _hated _in this world."

"Wait, there are humans in the Digital World?" said Stone. This startling piece of news seemed to only impact Stone. The rest of the Shadow Gang showed no signs of emotion.

"Yes," said Takumi. "They all came at once, I think - a whole group of people found a gate, and their descendants made up the humans of this world. But there aren't any humans now besides us! They were all wiped out, destroyed."

"Destroyed!?" said Stone.

"That's right. And that's why I know for a fact that my father is dead … he was killed in the Slaughter of the humans."

Stone nodded bitterly. "I am sorry, Takumi. I did not have much hope for your father still being alive, but I suppose it is best you know for sure than to speculate as to his fate."

"It's all right," said Takumi. "It's not your fault. It's Daemon's … he was the one who really wiped out all the humans. The only people that remain are us."

"So he is dead," said Shadow, showing his first sign of emotion, but he said it more to himself than anyone else.

"Yes he's dead! Didn't I just tell you?" said Takumi.

"Takumi, calm down!" said Reina. "It's great that you all have been able to contact us. We're just really stressed, that's all …"

"Tell us everything," said Stone. "From the moment you stepped into the Digital World. Tell us how you've been able to learn all this. And where is Naoki?" There was silence from the children.

"He's dead," said Takumi.

"Dead?" said Stone. "What happened?"

"A wild Digimon killed him," Reina explained. "He thought he could battle it himself, but … he couldn't."

"A fool," said Shadow.

For some reason Shadow's snide comment did not anger Takumi as it should have; he had grown used to Shadow's callous remarks.

"That is unfortunate," said Stone. "But it is lucky that the rest of you were not killed. When did Naoki die?"

"Our first night here," said Takumi. "When we first arrived. We left the gate and found ourselves in the desert. That was when Naoki got killed."

"Not long, huh …" said Stone, sadly. "I'm sorry … it is still a bit of a shock. See, you all have known of his death for a long time, but to all of us he was here just a few minutes ago."

"It's shocking," Diana Watari admitted.

"Yeah … it was a shock," said Takumi. "Then the next day we were in for more unpleasant surprises. This one Digimon, Phelesmon, captured us all because he said we kidnapped his daughter."

"Kidnapped his daughter!?" said Stone.

"Yes - it's a long story. Phelesmon, I mean. Apparently his daughter had been kidnapped many years ago, and he took to blaming all sorts of Digimon for it. Apparently he went crazy trying to search for her."

"So," said Shadow. "Apparently neuroticism isn't necessarily a human treat. Unfortunate. Go on."

"But this is incredible!" said Stone. "Digimon have sons and daughters - families! Children, should you ever get out of there, you will have to write a book about it! This proves that Digimon are not just animals, but of human intelligence! They must have customs, cultures, traditions that would rival ours!"

"Cut the crap," Shadow told him. "They can write books when they're done with their mission …"

"What happened next?" asked Ryan Royama.

"Well, actually Phelesmon took us to Daemon Palace to see the chief judge, SkullSatamon. Apparently he still had a lot of influence, because we got thrown in jail without even a trial. And then we were rescued by this one Digimon, Angewomon. She said that if they recognized us as humans, we would be killed for sure."

"That was lucky," said Stone. "From what you've told us, humans are hated. So how is it that this one Digimon found the heart to release you?"

"We didn't ask," said Takumi. "In fact, we didn't even see who released us … but it must have been Angewomon."

"Humans are hated in the Digital World," said Shun. "By _most _of the population anyway. But there are still some cities and pockets of Digimon who are favorable to humans. It was lucky, because when we escaped we got to one of those cities."

"Another stroke of luck," said Stone.

"You have been very lucky thus far!" said Diana Watari. "When we were unable to contact you, we feared that perhaps you had all been killed. You see, the Digital World is unknown to us … it is a complete mystery."

"What happened in the city?" asked Stone.

"Well, we met SaberLeomon, the Elder of the city - sort of like a mayor. He was the one who told us that humans are hated in the Digital World."

"Any reason for the hatred, beyond simple prejudice?" asked Ryan Royama.

"None that we can see," said Ryota. "Except - Digimon are viewed almost as perfect. Humans are seen as creatures that don't belong."

"Unsurprising," said Shadow. "It is no wonder that hatred lingers when two vastly different, intelligent life forms clash. What happened next?"

"He told us about the Slaughters," said Takumi.

"The Slaughters?"

"Mass killings of humans. The First Slaughter wiped out most of the humans. The second one finished the job. My dad was killed in the first," said Takumi bitterly.

"Well, that is unfortunate," said Shadow, sounding completely neutral.

"The first Slaughter was led by King Piedmon," Takumi told them. "But his heart wasn't really into it - it was political pressure and nothing more. There were still pockets of humans left, and everyone knew it. Daemon overthrew the government, with massive support, because he said that the kingdom was too lenient on humans. So he took the throne and finished off the rest of them. And that's not all. There are rumors that he wants to start killing vaccine and data type Digimon … because they were the most loyal to the humans."

"But those are Digimon types," said Stone. "So, types are not necessarily a biological component of Digimon, but descriptive of their ancestors and their affiliation with humans …"

"Right!" said Takumi. "Daemon completely controls the Digital World. There's no escaping from him. In fact, we were detained because we violated some petty rule."

"Again?" said Stone.

"Yes - but this place was far more sinister. It was called Purification Camp -"

"Sounds lovely," said Shadow.

"- Purification Camp, one of those in the past devoted to killing humans. When we were there, it housed prisoners - mostly vaccine and data type Digimon imprisoned for unjust reasons."

"So," said Shadow. "He's wiping out the vaccine and data type Digimon through stealth. What about the virus Digimon? What makes them exempt?"

"They didn't like humans, so he's naturally doesn't mind virus types," said Takumi. "Especially because Daemon is probably a virus type Digimon himself."

"No doubt."

"How did you all escape from that place?" Stone asked.

"That's a long story too," said Ryota. "Basically, all these Digimon were disappearing from the camp. We first thought it was the work of the Guardians -"

"The Guardians?"

"Four extremely powerful Digimon who are almost gods of the Digital World."

"Gods of the Digital World?" said Shadow. "Then why don't they overthrow Daemon themselves?"

"We don't know," said Ryota. "They might be subservient to Daemon - or maybe they don't want to bother. Who knows."

"Anyway, Digimon after Digimon started disappearing," said Takumi. "And when we went to investigate, we found out it wasn't the Guardians who were killing the Digimon, but Phelesmon."

"Phelesmon again!" said Stone. "You just cannot get that Digimon out of your hair, can you?"

"Yes - he's definitely crazy - he was killing all those Digimon to make a new Digimon that was composed of all of their data, Kimeramon. But we were able to finish him off and send Phelesmon packing." "And do you know where this Digimon is now?" Stone asked.

"No - we really don't."

"Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. So what happened next?"

"We got to another city - Midgard. The Digimon there were friendly to us too. Unfortunately, they were under strict control from Daemon's Digital Police. We stayed with some Digimon and we got together and overthrew that government."

"Absolutely stunning!" said Stone. "Children, you can't imagine how extraordinary that is. You've already achieved in your young lives what adults -"

"Oh, can the crap," said Shadow. "Go on. What made you children think you could go on a crusade against the Digimon government?"

"Well, it's _right _for one," said Takumi. "And second of all, it's prophesied."

"Prophesied?" said Stone. "Explain."

"Years and years ago, hundreds of years ago, some Digimon came up with a prophecy that predicted that one day a great evil would arise in the Digital World, and saviors - or should I say, a 'saving force' would come to deliver the Digimon from tyranny. The saving force would be in the form of humans who could transform into Digimon." "Amazing!" said Stone. "This prophecy, children … do you know the exact learning?"

"No," Takumi told him. "But obviously these Digimon have faith in us. Ever since we arrived, they called us 'saviors' and have predicted great things … and we've lived up to them, so far. Daemon has - or had - three lieutenants who helped him control the Digital World. We already killed one of them, the second one died mysteriously - we think someone on our side might have helped kill him - so there's only one left. And after that, Daemon. And if we can kill Daemon …"

"Then you free the Digital World from tyranny," said Stone. "Children … you've done more than I could ever have imagined …"

"You've been so brave," said Ms. Watari.

"This is historic," said Ryan Royama. "Should you children succeed, then you'll be famous …"

"Yes," said Shadow. "The Cortezes and the Pizarros of the Digital World … kids, if you go and kill Daemon, we won't stand in your way. But let's just say that he's in our way for now."

Takumi did not follow up with any more questions. "So that's where we are right now. We don't know how much time we have left in this world, but … we know what we have to do."

"Have you had any success at digivolving to the ultimate level?" Shadow asked.

"Yes - four out of five of us have reached the ultimate stage. All except Yuka."

"Poor girl," said Shadow dismissively. "I must confess that I do not have faith in you. I don't think prophecies are worth anything at all. Needless to say, the fact that the Digital World is actually civilized is very disappointing, and makes our task much more difficult."

"What task?" Takumi asked.

"Explanations can wait," said Stone. "Takumi, I'm - prouder than I've ever been of you. I know that your father would be proud."

"Thanks," said Takumi.

"We had better go now," said Ryan Royama. "We'll be sure to keep in touch …"

"We will be monitoring your activities through the D-Pendulum," said Shadow. "We're currently working on technology that will give us a camera view of the Digital World …"

"That would help a lot!" said Takumi.

"Keep in touch!" said Ryota.

"Good-bye, children," said Shadow.

"Good luck!" Diana Watari called out.

"If anyone can do it, you kids can," said Ryan Royama.

Stone was the next to address them. "Ryota, Yuka, Reina, Shun, Takumi - if anyone can do this, you can. You've proved yourselves beyond what I thought was capable for children your age. If you can defeat Daemon, then you will bring a world of light to the Digimon living there. And don't be fooled by appearances - I am almost certain that more Digimon support your cause than you believe."

"We know there are some out there!" said Takumi. "Pray that we'll win this fight!"

"I will do so," said Stone. "Afterwards, we can talk. I have faith in you all. I know that you can do this."

Afterwards, they said their good-byes, and the transmission ceased; they parted at last.

"Well, what do you know about that!" said Ryota.

"I had almost forgotten about them," said Shun. "I'm not sure if they have as much faith in us as they say to do. After all, we're expendable."

"What do you mean?" said Takumi.

"Don't you get it? If we fail, they can just repeat the same thing with more kids back home. Over and over again. Eventually, someone will defeat him and the prophecy will come true."

Takumi gave him an angry look. "Don't you say that," he said. "Whatever you do, don't think what we're doing is worthless. We are far, far from expendable. I would never use that term to describe you - any of you!"

"I'm just saying," said Shun. "They don't care about us. Why should they? If they did, they would let us into what they're trying to accomplish."

"Maybe Shadow doesn't care about us," said Takumi. "And maybe Ryan Royama and Ms. Watari don't care about us - if they do, they hide it pretty easily. But Stone - I know he cares about us. We can't let him down because he hasn't let us down."

"What do you mean he cares about us?" said Ryota. "If he really cared about us, why did he screw up our lives like this?"

"We've been over this before," said Takumi. "Everything happens for a reason … there's a force at work here beyond any of us. You know, destiny and all that. Perhaps Stone just played a part."

"Still, why didn't he speak up?" asked Ryota. "Why didn't he say, 'You shouldn't be doing this to kids'? No. It doesn't matter if his convictions went against it or not; the point is he did what he did. You know, Takumi, sometimes I think the only reason you like Stone is because he was friends with your father."

"What!?" said Takumi. "That has nothing to do with anything. Stone is a good guy."

"I think he's a good guy," said Yuka. "At least, he seems to care about us the most out of all of them."

"So he's the least evil of the four of them," said Ryota. "Got it."

"My father doesn't have anything to do with why I like Stone," said Takumi.

"I'm sorry I said it," said Ryota. "But, whether we defeat Daemon or not, I'm always going to hold this against him: that he never spoke up when the others wanted to toy with our lives."

"Fine, we can compromise," said Takumi. "But let's not argue about that. We have bigger things to tackle right now."

They made up for the brief squabble, and soon all was well, though Takumi wondered if a bit of what Ryota said was true. Was Stone's relationship with his father the only reason he had such fondness for him? No, he thought - he had been his guidance counselor; he had helped him out - there was nothing at all to indicate that he was a bad person …

They walked along the road, the outline of the palace growing. As they neared the place, it grew darker than ever, as if the sun had set prematurely. The effect was an eerie one, and they looked about them; it was as if the lights had been dimmed overhead.

"Did you hear something?" Ryota asked.

"No," said Shun.

"Oh. I'm probably just hearing things."

"It's easy to lose your nerves in this place," said Reina.

Suddenly something darted out in front of them. Reina screamed.

"A bird," said Takumi. Nevertheless, his heart had quickened its pace.

"Takumi, do you think it's time we transform?" Ryota asked.

"Good idea," said Takumi. "We can't allow them to see us approach … especially in our human forms."

"But right now we're smaller and can move with more ease than we would in our Digimon forms," Shun pointed out.

"We'll have to take that chance," said Takumi. "All right … TRANSFORM! Hiamon."

"TRANSFORM! Kibamon."

"TRANSFORM!" Mikemon."

"TRANSFORM! Mekanorimon."

"TRANSFORM! Suraiimon."

Having digivolved to their Digimon forms, the children felt it was safe to transgress the rest of the forest. The dark area lay ahead, with a darkness that was not natural. The Digimon moved forward, closer and closer, through the trees. Eventually the forest became less and less until finally the thick trees became desert. Then they stopped. They were in the shadow of Daemon Palace.

"It's so eerily beautiful," said Suraiimon.

"How do we get in?" asked Mikemon.

"Hmm," said Hiamon, examining the exterior of the castle by flying overhead. They had seen the building before, but still Hiamon could not help but be mesmerized by its appearance: resembling a cathedral, but entirely black, with a large gargoyle at the top of it, a large, expansive castle. A large gate was in front of it. Here Hiamon spotted something: two robotic Digimon that were guarding the place. Excited by this discovery, he returned to his friends, who were crouching in a hiding-place in the rocks.

"There's Digimon guarding the place," said Hiamon. "Guardromon, I think they're called. I think we should be able to take them with ease."

Suraiimon looked skeptical.

"What, are you getting cold feet now?" the dragon Digimon asked.

"I'm scared," Suraiimon replied, "but I'll do it."

"All right - everybody. On the count of three let's all emerge and attack the Guardromon."

Mekanorimon raised a hand as if in dissent.

"Yes, what _is _it?" said Hiamon.

"I'm not sure - I'm speaking truthfully - but I'm not sure if a sneak attack will work. They are mechanical Digimon, after all. They don't understand the element of surprise."

"Oh - all right!" said Hiamon. "But I don't hear any better ideas." No one offered any improvements, and so on the count of three the attack would commence.

"One …"

Hiamon braced himself, it was easy since he was the one doing the counting …

"Two …"

This was it … there was no turning back now …

"Three!"

They came out all at once, and attacked almost simultaneously.

"Flame Rain!" shouted Hiamon, flying upward into the skies and releasing a barrage of flames from his wings, pelting the Guardromon with them.

"Ice Arrow!" shouted Kibamon.

"Sidewinder Claw!"

"Twin Beam!"

"Cat's Claw!"

The combined attacks were effective in destroying the Guardromon, who were turned into digital dust. The Digimon descended upon the gate, only to find them met by more Guardromon.

"Darn!" said Hiamon. "Flame Rain!"

"Grenade Destroyer!"

Now the Guardromon attacked. From their arms came tiny missiles, barraging the oncoming Digimon. They were thrown backward; the grenades proved a destructive nuisance, and only by combining their attacks once more were they able to defeat them. Then came another wave of Guardromon.

"Grenade Destroyer!"

Growing used to these attacks, they found that the Guardromon's attacks were predictable, and they were easily able to evade the oncoming missiles. Several more Guardromon were destroyed, but as one fell, it seemed like two more came from the castle to take their place.

"Triple Dragon Talon!"

Hiamon soared up into the air, then, claws glowing, he went down, down, down - _BOOM! _In a matter of minutes the Guardromon became mere heaps of rubble, before evaporating into digi-dust. They noticed too that no more came to take their place; their numbers had been completely wiped out.

"All right!" said Hiamon. "Through the drawbridge!"

Indeed, a bridge lay before them, it had proved a pathway for the Guardromon to exit the castle and attack them, and now they made their way across it. There was the traditional moat underneath them, but it did not concern them. However, just as they were going across they could feel something under their feet.

They watched with horror as the drawbridge went up, up, up - their entry into the palace at stake. They jumped - Hiamon and Mekanorimon had flying abilities, while the others excelled at making long jumps. Hiamon landed on the other side, and so did the others. Mikemon, however, was going to fall short. Sensing the danger, Hiamon flew to where she was to meet her, swooping below her and bringing her safely back to the other side.

"Hiamon," said Mikemon, almost out of breath, "thank you."

"If we're going to beat Daemon, we need to have all of us together!" Hiamon pointed out. Then they saw before them their latest obstruction: a strong, steel door.

"How do we make it across?" Suraiimon asked.

"I think I have the answer to that," said Kibamon. "Kibamon, digivolve to … HYPOTHERMON!" The ultimate form of the snow leopard Digimon made its appearance, and he unveiled his technique: "Freeze Tranquil!"

Slowly, but surely, the steel door before them turned to ice, solid ice, and then there came another cold blast, and the ice broke up and shattered, and the door with it: their path forward was now clear.

"All right, let's go!" said Kibamon. They ran through. Then, to their horror, they heard something from up above them, it was a gate, descending upon them with rapid speed. They got out of the way just in time; Mikemon was the last to escape, her tail barely salvaged from the crashing of the heavy gate. The exit was now sealed.

But these were only the first of their problems. The interior of the castle was dark, so dark they could not discern each other. Hiamon thought back to their brief stay here, and remembered that there were stairs somewhere, but right now it was impossible to know their location. Then their came a welcome light - but it was not so welcome. The light belonged to what seemed like dozens of Digimon on the now-illuminated second story of the castle. They resembled sinister, living candles.

"Candlemon!" said Hiamon.

All at once, the Digimon attacked. "Flame Bomber!" came their cries, and the Digimon below braced themselves as the flames came at them. Drawing a sudden idea, Hiamon flapped his wings, faster and faster and faster, until the flames were stopped, some even speeding back up to hit and kill the Candlemon.

Some of the Digimon jumped down below to make their assault, but Hypothermon made quick work of them, freezing many of them at once. The amount of data speeding up to the ceiling was stunning. The other Digimon fared well in the battle, and soon the Candlemon were defeated. When this happened, oddly, the lights came on, dim though they were, as if the Candlemon defeat had triggered it. They saw, to their left, stairs, and they took these - a long, winding staircase. With each step they took they knew they were getting closer and closer to their enemy …

They walked up nearly four flights of stairs, wondering if they were getting lost. They headed down the corridor. It was a dark place, quite eerie, with torches on the walls offering the only light. Then they found a wide room that they felt was of importance, so they entered and looked around.

"Are we lost?" said Suraiimon.

Hiamon paused. "No," he said. "No, I think it's -"

Suddenly, a Digimon descended from a higher place. The intruders were amazed at his body, which resembled a large clock, with some phantom-being serving as an operator.

"I am Clockmon!" said the Digimon. "Time to destroy!"

With that, he slammed his own body with a mallet he was holding. The sound unnerved the Digimon and gave them an odd sense, one that they had never felt before. Then, as the Clockmon moved toward them, they realized they could not make any move, for they had been rendered immobile. Hiamon felt him hit with the Clockmon's hammer, and the other Digimon fared the same way. The blows knocked them to the ground, where they continued to be helpless. Then they realized that they were perfectly mobile, except that the Clockmon had stopped time. He whacked at them some more, but apparently his attack was not permanent, for they regained mobility, or rather time, quick enough.

"Flame Rain!" shouted Hiamon, and he flew up and the flames descended once more.

The Clockmon whacked the flames right back, hitting the dragon Digimon.

"Sidewinder Claw!"

But Suraiimon's attack did nothing, except to make a loud _GONG _sound which filled the room and threatened their eardrums.

"Twin Beam!"

"Cat's Claw!"

"Chrono Breaker!"

As this happened, Hypothermon leapt in midair, but the Clockmon's attack froze him in place, making for an odd scene. Clockmon attacked them further, but his attack wore off. Hypothermon landed, then, ferociously at the Clockmon, yelled:

"Freeze Tranquil!"

Now it was the Clockmon's turn to freeze in place. Then there came a blast of cold air, and the large ice cube was obliterated, turning into bits of digital data. The Clockmon was defeated.

"All right!" said Hiamon. "Let's go."

When Clockmon was defeated, yet another door opened, as if by magic, and they went through. The room they came to next was most strange. They found themselves looking at their own reflections - the Digimon, multiplied dozens of times in the glass. They were in a house of mirrors.

"What is this place?" said Suraiimon.

"I don't know," said Hiamon, bumping into a wall, hitting his head. "Ow!"

"It's a maze," said Hypothermon, him too having difficulty navigating the location. Through cleverness alone were they able to make their way through this latest obstacle. Then, as they progressed, Hiamon had the strange feeling that they were being watched. They walked along; it was impossible to avoid their own reflection. Then they let out shouts of surprise: there was a figure in the mirror that was not one of them.

"Intruders in Daemon Palace!" said the voice, one of the most sinister they had heard.

It was a humanoid Digimon, composed of nothing but blue fire. He had the most demonic looking expression on his face.

"Where are you?" shouted Hiamon, looking around.

"Here!" said the Digimon, and though they looked around, they could not find him. Then Hiamon felt a burning sensation, and saw him right next to him. He yelled and jumped to the side, hitting the glass and breaking it.

About sixteen images of the new evil Digimon appeared before them, but now they knew the location of the real thing.

"BlueMeramon," said Kibamon. "An evil flaming Digimon with a fiery personality. His Ice Phantom attack is almost always lethal!"

"Cold Flame!" shouted the Digimon, shooting blue, flaming darts at the Digimon. BlueMeramon seemed to have no trouble in distinguishing the false images and the real Digimon in the hall of mirrors, for each of his attacks were dead-on, and some of the most painful they had encountered. Every time they were hit it felt like their insides were being burned as their outsides were frostbitten.

Hiamon wanted to attack but was afraid that he would harm his friends - he was unsure what was a reflection and what was real. Finally he reached a decision.

"Flame Rain!"

The flames came from his wings. Like darts, they hit the glass mirrors, shattering them. He saw the real BlueMeramon over near the left corridor, smiling broadly, an evil smile that warned him of impending danger.

"Get him!" shouted Kibamon. The five Digimon lunged at their foe. The BlueMeramon quickly threw them off, and Kibamon's attack proved futile. In an attempt to bite his opponent, he only managed to harm himself in the process, and he too was thrown to the ground, shattering another mirror.

The BlueMeramon laughed evilly. Hiamon stood up, not willing to back down yet … to much depended on this one victory, this preparation for Daemon's final lieutenant …

"Triple Dragon Talon!" he shouted. He was unable to use this attack from the air like normal, however, he put just as much force into his claws, charging at the BlueMeramon.

"Ice Phantom!"

The BlueMeramon was enraged; he could see that. His whole body turned blue, so that not even his red evil eyes could be discerned. They both charged at each other - as they came, closer and closer, Hiamon felt a sense that his attack would fail, that he was weaker than the BlueMeramon, and this probably more than anything sealed his defeat …

As predicted, he was thrown to the wall again. Another mirror shattered, broke up into a hundred tiny pieces. Mikemon attacked, but was headed off like a rag doll, and Suraiimon's attack too proved useless.

Hiamon faced the BlueMeramon, he saw the evil in his eyes and knew that he wanted to kill him, wanted him to die, wanted to end the evil then and there … and he decided that he had no choice.

"Hiamon, digivolve to … RADIATIMON!" Now what was left of the hall of mirrors disintegrated, as Radiatimon was far too large to be contained. Confronting an immense dragon, a burning, flame-tipped tail, BlueMeramon for the first time did not look extremely confident, and he looked more determined than evil.

"Helios Missile!"

He fired, the BlueMeramon used a flame attack but this time he was the weaker one. There was an explosion, embers of blue fire shot up - and he was gone. The Digimon saw the tiny bits of digital data ascend up into the air, finally becoming invisible to the eye.

"He's gone!" said Kibamon.

Radiatimon nodded grimly. This time there would be no returning to the champion form, there was still a battle to wage, and he would have to remain in his ultimate form for the duration of the fight …

"Was that - the final lieutenant?" asked Suraiimon.

"No," Radiatimon returned, and even though he was not sure of this, something told him that there was still more to come. "This way." He did not know why he felt that the way he was going was the correct one, for there were many alternative paths that conceivably would lead to the right location. It was like an instinct.

They did not have far to walk. Soon they found themselves in a tall, wide room, similar to the one in which they had fought the Clockmon. The walls were made of rock; it was a barren place, mold grew on the walls. The feeling of apprehension was felt by everyone.

"I think," said Radiatimon, the room wide enough to accommodate him, "that he's here. I think -"

There was a wide ledge overhead that they had not noticed, where they could see nothing but darkness. They had not expected anything to fly out of it, but as soon as they noticed it they saw a figure dart out from the blackness. He was like a yellow ninja, and though he walked on two legs he was certainly not a human: they had seen him before, and they knew too that he was not the final lieutenant.

"You!" said Radiatimon.

It was an Apemon. "Good day to you, humans! Welcome to Daemon's palace. Prepare to meet your doom!"

That the Apemon knew they were humans did not come to them as much of a surprise that he was a servant of Daemon.

"Wait!" said Suraiimon. "We've seen you before."

"In Civil City!" said Kibamon.

"And come to think of it, in Midgard too," said Mekanorimon.

"Yes!" said the Apemon triumphantly, a look of evil on his face. "You might have guessed it. I'm - a Leech!"

"A Leech!" said Radiatimon. "You good-for-nothing traitor, we'll skin you alive!"

"Oh," said Apemon, "I don't think so! You see, I may not be the final lieutenant, but I am a faithful servant, and now that I've delivered you right into Daemon's hands, I will be rewarded greatly! He he he!" He let out a monkeyish laugh.

"Helios Missile!" shouted Radiatimon. It was the only thing he could do; he was so angry that he attacked without thinking. Not surprisingly, the attack missed: Apemon got out of the way by doing a series of backflips and other mind-boggling acrobatic feats. Still, the treacherous Digimon seemed to sense that he was in danger.

"My mistress, my mistress, protect me! Attack them and kill them, my mistress, may the humans be slain here!"

They stopped, they were too busy looking over the ledge to even try to attack the Apemon, who was nothing more than a pesky bug at the moment. Then they saw a figure emerge from over the ledge. The figure had dark wings, was black in color, and was definitely feminine. She wore long black hair and resembled a witch. This, no doubt, was Daemon's final lieutenant.

"It's a woman!" shouted Kibamon.

The newcomer cackled, a hideous cackle that made them shiver.

"A woman?! Ha! I am no mere woman. I'm a lady! LadyDevimon, the third lieutenant, mistress of the skies, most loyal servant of King Daemon! I'm more than just a bodyguard, I am his Queen!"

"LadyDevimon!" said Kibamon. "The final lieutenant!"

The woman in black descended from the skies, her laughter filled the room, bouncing off the walls and filling their hearts with a cold, evil feeling. Radiatimon looked over to Mikemon and Suraiimon and was surprised to find that they were the angriest he had ever seen them. They had eyes pierced, death on them, it was like they wanted to gnaw on LadyDevimon and chew her forever, ripping her from limb to limb.

"My mistress, my mistress!" said the Apemon, bowing.

"Very good, Apemon!" said the woman. She pointed to her opponents. "Now kill them!"

"You must be crazy," Kibamon breathed.

The Apemon, however, saw no foolishness in her command, appearing to consider himself quite capable of taking on all five Digimon single-handedly. "Mega Bone Stick!" shouted the traitor Digimon, throwing his bone at the Digimon who doubted his ability.

"Ice Arrow!" shouted Kibamon. The attack dissolved the bone; Apemon gulped, his one weapon lost.

"Helios Missile!" shouted Radiatimon. Apemon stared blankly, the missile hit and there was an explosion; Apemon was dead. "All right!" said Radiatimon, once this was finished. "Attack LadyDevimon!"

The female Digimon needed no further prodding, before the words escaped from his lips Mikemon had hurled herself onto the devilish Digimon, but was quickly throne off; Suraiimon attacked, biting furiously, but LadyDevimon snapped her jaws shut and threw her against the wall, laughing as she did so. Full of rage, Radiatimon descended on their new foe. That was when he saw something quite strange: it was in the Queen's eyes. Red and slit-like though they were, he saw that they were full of some strange emotion. Was it regret? Perhaps, only in the light that she was about to be trounced by Radiatimon … he soared to the ground, crushing his opponent with his talon, then he cried out in pain, there was a purple light, almost a barrier, that separated him from her, and it was painful to even touch her. He let go, and with the agility of a cat, LadyDevimon fled, bouncing off the walls and in the process slashing Kibamon with a long, black nail …

"URAGH!"

Kibamon let out a pained grunt as he landed on the hard stone floor; the nail had pierced him and there was a long cut across his side.

Radiatimon glared at the lieutenant, and there it was again: she was looking at Kibamon, not with the triumph of a victorious opponent, but with a look that could only be described as motherly … but when Mikemon attacked her again, he saw nothing but anger in the two red slits and was sure that he had imagined it …

"Twin Beam!"

Mikemon's attack had failed, now it was Mekanorimon's turn, but his attack was deflected with her nail.

"Ha ha ha!" said LadyDevimon, her silver hair making her look oddly beautiful.

"Stereotypical villain laugh, isn't it?" shouted Kibamon, who once again charged their enemy. But he was slashed once more with the nail, and thrown back, and he landed on the hard stone floor with a thud.

"Actually there's something different about this lieutenant," said Radiatimon doubtfully. "But we don't have much to compare her to, having only battled one other."

But now was obviously not the time for conversation, LadyDevimon was charging at him, her blade out, ready to strike. Radiatimon just barely dodged it, but when he got up off the ground he found that he had not: a tiny sliver of a cut remained on his leg that grew more painful with each moment. LadyDevimon returned her attention to Mikemon, who had the meanest look imaginable on such a meek Digimon.

"Cat's Claw!"

At last the blade proved useless, Mikemon deflected the claw. LadyDevimon landed haphazardly on the ground, contrasting poorly with the agile cat Digimon who was dueling her. Suraiimon caught the rebound, shouting her attack: "Sidewinder Claw!" but LadyDevimon once more blocked it with her nail, sending Suraiimon crashing into the wall. She let out a moan of fury, then fell to the ground, defeated.

Radiatimon glared at the lieutenant. For some reason she seemed to attack the female Digimon with more intensity; perhaps it was a bit of the old feminine rivalry at work. Regardless Radiatimon attacked her furiously, clawing at her, but the nail proved his downfall again.

"Ha ha ha!" shouted the LadyDevimon, as Radiatimon hit the ground once more. Mekanorimon flew above him, glowing …

"Mekanorimon, digivolve to . . . KNIGHTMON!"

Knightmon appeared, brandishing the sword, LadyDevimon opposing him with her nail. They fought, and she seemed to meet her match.

"Darkness Wave!"

LadyDevimon shouted her attack, and from her wings appeared many bats, flapping, making horrible screeching sounds as they assaulted Knightmon. He fought at them, used his sword to kill them, but there were too many, and it was evident that his power was being drained …

"ARCTIC ARROW!"

Kibamon fired a jet of blue fire, but LadyDevimon had astonishing reflexes, she whipped around and deflected it with her spike, throwing Kibamon to the side like a rag doll. But she was not finished yet: from the skies came Radiatimon, more furious than ever, claws out, and as he dove he thought of nothing except killing her …

He saw fear in her eyes, absolute fear and horror, and shock, and regret, and as he neared her he too began to have feelings that it was not worth it, that her life was somehow worth sparing, even though he could not put his finger on why he had feelings for such a horrible Digimon … he attacked, but it was half-hearted, and though he hit her, the damage sustained was not great. LadyDevimon recovered quickly, her nail out; breathing heavily, she looked at Radiatimon through her red, slit-like eyes with what seemed like exhaustion …

Mikemon attacked once more from the side, once again, the attack was evaded through LadyDevimon's use of her powerful blade. Mikemon landed on the ground, her cat-brows furrowed, ready to swipe at her again. She did so, and they grappled for a while, their attack finally broken up by Suraiimon. Mikemon proved too weak to battle the ultimate LadyDevimon and landed on the ground again, down but not out, for her persistence would not allow her.

"Sidewinder Claw!"

Suraiimon dashed at LadyDevimon, but hit by the blade, was thrown to the ceiling. She landed on the stone floor with a deafening crash.

"THAT'S IT!" shouted Radiatimon. "Helios -"

But he had been knocked to the side, and not by LadyDevimon. Suraiimon had recovered quickly and had darted out in front of him, wanting LadyDevimon all to herself. She was glowing.

"Suraiimon digivolve to … NORNMON!" Suraiimon's ultimate form appeared, and for such an angelic-looking Digimon she had never looked so vicious. "Destiny Weaving!" she shouted, and cords appeared from nowhere, throwing themselves on her female opponent. Once again the blade proved its undoing, and the cords fell to the floor.

"Nature's Game!"

Nornmon's hands were filled with an energy ball that seemed to be powered by everything around her, as what looked like leaves was absorbed into it. Blue in color, the energy ball was thrown at LadyDevimon. It hit the final lieutenant square in the head, her head fell back, she herself fell to the floor, Radiatimon winced; he was certain she had lost some teeth, and evil though she was, he did not wish to see it.

"You're not so tough, are you?" said Nornmon.

"You don't know the half of it," said LadyDevimon angry. The spike in her arm grew longer, she got up from the ground and leapt at Nornmon, brandishing her weapon. Nornmon attempted to grab it in her arms, but this failed, and the blade hit her in the chest, and she fell to the ground, slowly.

"We're losing!" said Hypothermon, who had driven up beside Radiatimon.

"You wouldn't think it, watching these girls go at it!" said Radiatimon in awe.

"ARMOR KNIFE!"

Knightmon's attack came next; he took his sword and struck the dark Digimon with it. She moaned in pain; they had never heard a cry so unimaginably horrific. Retaliating, their opponent shouted: "Darkness Wave!"

This time the attack went for everyone, not just Knightmon. Bats, seemingly from out of nowhere, from the ceiling, from the ledge, and some that seemed to come from the floor, were attacking them, accompanied by a dark wave that sapped their energy.

The bats attacked mercilessly; Radiatimon ducked to avoid them. He saw Hypothermon's eyes through the fog of bats. "She's strong!" he told him, hacking away at the bats.

"Dragon Explosion!"

The bats were soon destroyed, a ring of fire energy appeared around Radiatimon and then burst, destroying the winged creatures. LadyDevimon evaded the attack once again with her blade; Radiatimon growled.

"Ready to give up?" asked LadyDevimon, seething. Radiatimon narrowed his eyes, studying her. Was it a serious request? "_I'm _not giving up!" said a voice. It was Mikemon, and she had jumped over the other Digimon and was preparing to attack. LadyDevimon caught her by her paws and flung her aside; she hit the wall but reappeared seconds later to do battle again, with much the same result, with the opposing wall.

"You silly little thing, do you really think you have the power to defeat me?" LadyDevimon asked.

"Pick on someone your own size!" Radiatimon suggested, grabbing her hands and throwing her to the ground like a rag doll. This, of course, was not a serious recommendation, for Radiatimon was nearly three times the size of LadyDevimon. But she recovered quickly, she was on her feet again and shouted:

"Darkness Wave!"

The bats came again, this time Radiatimon clawed at them and they died easily.

"Berserk Sword!"

But, once again, the attack was deflected.

"We're getting nowhere," Hypothermon grumbled. "Freeze - TRANQUIL!" The snow leopard Digimon emitted a jet of ice from his mouth; it hit LadyDevimon on her right calf and the ice spread around her knees, but those were the only parts covered. She howled in pain; the attack was an uncommonly painful one, even if it did not have its desired effect.

"Go - now!" said the LadyDevimon, her voice breaking. "You are all fools, silly fools!" She flew above them, looking at them with distress. "You don't have a chance in the world! Leave this place and never return - or be killed!"

"I don't think you're going to be the one who's going to kill us!" shouted Nornmon, rising with her, preparing to engage her in battle. "Destiny Weaving!"

The cords were once again broken; LadyDevimon easily destroyed them and flew to the other side of the massive room. "Leave - this - place!" she reiterated.

"Not happening!" said Radiatimon. "HELIOS MISSILE!"

He shot at her, she dodged it, it hit the other wall with a loud blast. There was a sound like an earthquake - the ledge overhead had fallen to the ground, breaking into dozens of pieces. LadyDevimon looked scornful.

"Haven't learned your lesson yet, have you?" she asked.

"We never learn!" said Radiatimon.

Hypothermon attacked. "Freeze Tranquil!"

"Darkness Wave!"

The two jets, one of ice and the other of darkness met each other in the middle, and then there was an explosion, and the two opponents were blasted away from each other … LadyDevimon caught herself in mid-air, landing on two feet, though slightly off-balance. "I'm not going to ask you again!" she shouted. "Leave! Get away!"

"Is she being serious?" Knightmon asked.

"'Fraid so," said Radiatimon.

"WE'RE NOT LEAVING!" shouted Mikemon. They watched with awe: the cat Digimon was attacking LadyDevimon mercilessly, scratching her and clawing her, the ultimate Digimon screamed in pain at the onslaught.

"No!" shouted Suraiimon. "She's MINE!"

The fox Digimon leapt up, knocking Mikemon out of the way. She growled ferociously, opening her mouth and revealing her long fangs, LadyDevimon slapped her and stepped back, looking vengeful. Nornmon pounced, LadyDevimon was on the ground again.

"Darkness Wave!"

The bats hit the ultimate Digimon in the face, and LadyDevimon escaped again.

"Radiatimon, something is strange about this!" said Hypothermon.

"You've noticed it too, huh?" said the dragon Digimon.

"She's not fighting back, she's not finishing them off when she has the chance!" the snow leopard Digimon returned.

"I'm getting a little bored!" said Radiatimon. "We're getting nowhere, and we have to finish this battle soon!"

"Maybe that's her plan," said Hypothermon. "Keep us fighting and wear ourselves out."

"Well, we can't let that happen," said Radiatimon. "Mikemon! Nornmon! Out of the way!" The dragon Digimon landed on the ground, the impact broke up the fight between Mikemon and LadyDevimon.

"You fool!" shouted LadyDevimon.

"You'll get yours, LadyDevimon!" said Radiatimon. "Mikemon, Nornmon - there's no use fighting her all by yourselves. We need to combine our attacks together!"

"Finally caught on, didn't you?" sneered LadyDevimon. "You'll never defeat me on your own. DARKNESS WAVE!"

"HELIOS MISSILE!"

Radiatimon had grown all too familiar with the bats and destroyed them all with ease. They disappeared in a ball of fire. LadyDevimon looked stunned, and angry.

"You're about to get it, LadyDevimon!" said Radiatimon. "All right, everyone, all together! HELIOS MISSILE!"

"FREEZE TRANQUIL!"

"DESTINY WEAVING!"

"BERSERK SWORD!" "CAT'S CLAW!"

The attacks all combined - there was a jet of fire, a jet of ice, cords, the effect of a claw attack, even a sword. They charged at LadyDevimon as if they were sentient, they knew that she was doomed - and then, with a wave of her arm, the attacks were diverted, up into the air and through the roof. The entire room shook, and great rocks fell below. The Digimon watched, stunned, as LadyDevimon flawlessly finished her performance.

"You fools," LadyDevimon breathed. "Did you really think you could defeat _me_? You'll never defeat Daemon! Run, run, run for your lives, you pathetic humans, or you'll all die by his hand! You must want to die; that's the only reason you're sticking around!"

"I've had enough with you!" growled Radiatimon, concealing his shock that the attacks had not even fazed her.

"And I you," said LadyDevimon, narrowing her eyes. "In fact, I've had enough with _all of you_!" She spun in a circle, and her movements bewildered them, they watched her, she was like an acrobat. Radiatimon watched, and he tried to turn away, but could not. In fact, there was nothing he wanted to do more than watch her move about in the air, watch her black wings, her silvery hair, her devilish legs, red, slit-like eyes that promised so much …

"My mistake," said LadyDevimon, with a cackle. She did not break the hypnosis. "I've had enough will all the _men_!" She laughed again.

Mikemon and Nornmon looked around, unknowing. "What's going on, you guys?" asked Mikemon. She saw Hypothermon, standing there with a blank look on his face. "Ryota! Ryota, wake up!"

LadyDevimon cackled again.

Mikemon furrowed her brows. "You did this!" she said.

"Mad?" said LadyDevimon. "Then why don't you do something about it?"

Full of rage, Mikemon leapt at her, baring her claws, LadyDevimon threw her to the ground and let out another loud cackle …

"You guys? You guys?" said Nornmon. "What's wrong with them?" She stared at the male Digimon, who were looking up at LadyDevimon with awe. Concerned, Nornmon went up to Radiatimon. "Takumi? Takumi? What's happening?"

"I'm what's happening!" shouted LadyDevimon, cackling again. "What's the matter? Alarmed that your man-friend is about to leave you for me, whose beauty is superior in every way?"

"You're uglier than a - a toad!" spat Nornmon. "Who on earth would want to look at _you_?"

"That's just the jealousy speaking," said LadyDevimon, with an evil smile.

"Oh, shut up!" shouted Nornmon. "Destiny Weaving!" She threw the cords at LadyDevimon again, who easily broke them and cackled once more.

"Don't you get it, you silly little Digimon, your stupid cords have no effect on me! I've broken them before, and I'll break them again, so why don't you try a new attack?"

Nornmon snarled …

"Or are you just not creative enough?" said LadyDevimon. "Darkness Wave!"

The bats came, Nornmon once again utilized her attack. "Destiny Weaving!" The cords wrapped themselves around the bats, deleting them all. Nornmon looked up at her opponent with satisfaction.

"Oh, you!" said LadyDevimon.

"I'm getting a little sick of that attack, too," Nornmon sneered.

"Then try this on for size! Evil - AGHHH!"

Behind her was Mikemon, clawing at her ferociously. LadyDevimon turned around, howling in pain, scars visible on her back. "You -" said LadyDevimon, her slit-like eyes filled with hatred.

"Me!" said Mikemon.

"You dare take on an ultimate level Digimon?" said LadyDevimon. "You silly little thing, you haven't got the power to defeat me -" "Mikemon, out of the way!" shouted Nornmon. "Leave this battle to me!"

"NO!" said Mikemon. "I'm going to finish her off! I'm sick of being in the background! This lieutenant is MINE!"

"Very well," LadyDevimon sneered. "Prepare to meet my wrath! DARKNESS WAVE!"

The bats came, Mikemon jumped, using her claws to bat them out of the way, one at a time: it seemed like she would emerge triumphant, but then more bats came, more and more, until they were impossible to swat away …

"Mikemon!" Nornmon shouted. The ultimate Digimon dove for LadyDevimon. "You -"

"Me!" said LadyDevimon. They scuffled, but as they did so, the bats kept pouring in, Mikemon attempted to swat them away but there were just too many of them …

"Nature's Game!"

"Hahahaha!"

LadyDevimon hit Nornmon in the chin with her spike, and she fell to the ground, yelling with pain. Lying on the ground, she saw the figures of the stunned male Digimon, still standing there like statues, watching LadyDevimon with admiration and lust …

"What is wrong with you guys?" said Nornmon. "Can't you see - oh!"

Mikemon was still fighting the bats, but in vain, and soon she too was on the ground, the bats rushing at her, biting her …

"MIKEMON!"

But she was all right, and more than that, she was glowing a brilliant pink color. She rose, and her cat form became more human, her hair grew longer and her body became more woman-like, but her tail - or tails, for there were two now - remained. Her legs and her tails had on them golden rings, and her hair was long and pink, and she had cat ears. The bats were destroyed by the light, and LadyDevimon covered her eyes, so bright it was. Mikemon was no more, in her place stood -

"PERSIAMON!"

The pink glow subsided, and her form was clearly seen, she was beautiful and majestic, and resembled something out of ancient Egypt. What little bats remained were easily destroyed by Persiamon's claws, and she stood ready to face LadyDevimon.

"So, finally reached the ultimate form, have we?" LadyDevimon sneered. "Well, it just goes to show that even late bloomers get there sometime. But you're still no match for me!"

"We'll see," said Persiamon, her insult not fazing her in the slightest. "Helter Skelter!" And with that, she began not to attack, but to dance.

LadyDevimon frowned. "You think you're going to defeat me through pelvic movements?"

"You're so dense, LadyDevimon!" came a voice. It was Nornmon, and she was looking at LadyDevimon with loathing. "She's not attacking you. She's breaking your spell!"

"What!?" said LadyDevimon, looking at the Digimon she had enchanted.

Sure enough, the Digimon were starting to become aware of their surroundings, and intelligence and life came back to their eyes. Slowly, they came to.

"What - what's happened?" said Radiatimon, the spell broken.

"Takumi!" said Nornmon, a smile breaking through her face.

"You fool!" said LadyDevimon, turning to face Persiamon. "I'll teach you to mess with my spells!"

Persiamon had ceased dancing by now and set her sights on LadyDevimon. "Then teach me."

"Darkness -"

"I don't think so!" shouted Radiatimon.

"Everyone, combine your attacks together!" shouted Hypothermon. "Freeze Tranquil!"

"Helios Missile!"

LadyDevimon screamed, the missile exploded over her and she went flying into the nearest wall.

"Nature's Game!"

"Vampire Wave!"

"Berserk Sword!"

The attacks all combined together into one massive, multi-colored stream of light, LadyDevimon screamed once more, the wall where she had her back to crumbled, and she fell to the ground. Her nail had been broken, her hair was disheveled and she was near total defeat. The game was over.

"All right, now!" commanded Radiatimon. "It's time to destroy you!" He flew over to where LadyDevimon had fallen, preparing to make the final blow -

"Wait!" said LadyDevimon. "Stop! You don't know what you're doing! You don't understand?"

"What do you mean?" Radiatimon demanded. "You're asking for mercy, _now_? What about the Digimon who pleaded for mercy, the Digimon who you helped to kill?"

"I never -" wailed LadyDevimon. "I never hurt - anybody! I tried, I tried, I mean, I'm sorry, I _tried _not to hurt anybody, but I did and I'm sorry … it's all my fault, all my fault … the Slaughters, the murders, the suffering … all my fault …"

The other Digimon had arrived by now too.

"What are you doing, Radiatimon?" asked Hypothermon. "This is a trap! As soon as you hesitate she'll leap up and destroy you!"

"No!" LadyDevimon protested. "No, no, don't kill me! Please! You don't understand?"

"What don't I understand?" breathed Radiatimon. "Why should I spare your life, when you just admitted that you were responsible for the Slaughters?" Angrily, he reached out and grabbed her neck, LadyDevimon choked, her slit-like eyes pleading with him to stop … "Why should I spare your life when you didn't spare my father's?"

"Please - please -" LadyDevimon choked out. "I'm begging you - it's not what you think - I never wanted to hurt anybody - but I might as well have hurt people - for what I did - what I fool I was - if I could take it back - none of this would have happened -"

"What wouldn't have happened?"

"Please!" said LadyDevimon. "Let me explain - let me explain -"

Radiatimon looked into his enemy's eyes, and for some reason he saw nothing but sincerity in those red, slit-like eyes. He was certain that he would live to regret it, but he released his grip on her, and put her down … "Fine," he told her. "Explain. Explain everything. But if you even try to get away, or attack us, then -"

"No! No, there'll be none of that! Oh - I'm sorry, humans, I'm so sorry -"

"Wait," said Radiatimon. "How do you know that we're humans?"

"I've known forever," said LadyDevimon. "So has Daemon. But that's not important now. What's important is that you need to get out, flee … as soon as possible. You made a horrible mistake in coming here tonight!"

"We're not leaving," Hypothermon interjected. "So put that out of your mind."

"No - you can't," said LadyDevimon. "I don't want to see anymore suffering. Not after … not after what I've seen. My whole life I've been suffering."

"Suffering?" sniffed Nornmon. "How can you be suffering when you're Queen of the Digital World?"

"Oh, please!" said LadyDevimon. "Don't call me that - I'm so, so pitiful and so - this place is so dark and gloomy, and I'm constantly reminded of my own stupidity - my husband, Daemon - he keeps me away from others, he's very jealous, so jealous, murderously jealous." She sighed. "It wasn't always like this. I was born into a wealthy family. My father was a prominent citizen of Civil City, and I had been recently married to a very respected young Digimon. And then -" She looked on the verge of crying. Then she bit her lip and said: "_He _took me. Killed my husband, took me off to his palace, where I have stayed, practically imprisoned, for years and years and years."

Radiatimon thought, and he understood. "Wait a minute," he said. "You're Phelesmon's daughter!"

LadyDevimon nodded bitterly. "Yes! Oh, my father, what a Digimon he was, he spent years trying to find me …"

"He's still trying to find you," said Hypothermon. "He accused us of taking you."

LadyDevimon nodded sadly again. "I blame Daemon for all of this. If he hadn't taken me, my father wouldn't have - gone crazy. I think my disappearance took a major toll on his health, especially mentally. He is obsessed with finding me and bringing me back - oh, I love him so much, I wish I could go to him."

"But you were there," said Radiatimon. "You saw him! You were in SkullSatamon's office when he came in!"

"I was," said LadyDevimon. "But he is so - _lost _in his own mind that he doesn't recognize me. Everywhere he goes, he sees only potential kidnappers."

"But what were you doing in SkullSatamon's office to begin with?"

LadyDevimon sighed again, full of regret. "Another one of my foolish, foolish mistakes, and I have made many of them," she conceded. "I was just so desperate to get out of my place in the castle that I went to work with SkullSatamon in secret. But SkullSatamon has a - way with female Digimon. He never touched me, but that didn't stop Daemon from believing he did. His anger was horrible to behold, I almost thought he would kill me too, as he has threatened to many, many times, but then …"

"… he killed SkullSatamon," said Radiatimon, understanding.

"Now you know," said LadyDevimon, nodding bitterly. "So now you understand. This is the last time I'm going to ask you: leave, now! And never return. I thought for sure you would never return here again after I released you from prison. But you were too - oh, what word is there? Brave."

"_You _released us from prison?" asked Knightmon.

"That night …" said Radiatimon. "It was so dark, I was sure it had been Angewomon …"

LadyDevimon shook her head. "A mere secretary would never have the keys to unlock a prison cell. As soon as I knew you were imprisoned, I had to do something, or else you would have been killed … you see, SkullSatamon and Phelesmon may not have recognized you right away, but someone would have eventually … and you would have been killed."

Radiatimon nodded. "But if you didn't want us killed … why did you attack us?"

"I didn't have a choice!" LadyDevimon protested. "I didn't have a choice, I had to put up an evil front or else … I never meant to hurt you, I never meant to hurt any of you. I've been trying to make amends lately … for all the suffering I've caused, all the deaths I've caused … all my fault …"

"What are you talking about?" said Radiatimon. "Look, despite your - well, looks, you're a pretty good Digimon after all! How can you say you were responsible for the Slaughters? You had nothing to do with them!"

"Oh, you don't know, you don't know!" said LadyDevimon, crying and shaking her head. "It's all my fault … all because of …" She hesitated.

"Because of what?" Hypothermon asked.

"Because Daemon loved me. But I didn't love him back. That's why he had to kidnap me … and that's why the Slaughters happened."

Radiatimon shook his head; it was like he was talking to a crazy woman. "But that has nothing to do with you," he said quietly.

"Oh yes," said LadyDevimon, shaking her head as if she wished it were not so. "It has everything to do with me … everything to do with me … the evil in my heart is the root of all the evils committed in the Slaughters …"

"But you're not evil," said Radiatimon. He was certain of this now, as he had never been certain of in the past. "You're not."

"Is not loving someone evil?"

"Not loving someone?" said Radiatimon. "What does that have to do with anything? You can't _choose _who you love; not loving someone isn't evil, it's just …"

"But sometimes the way you choose to love someone is evil," whispered LadyDevimon. "Or hate someone."

"What do you mean?" said Radiatimon. She was talking in code, and yet he felt like he knew what she was talking about …

"Do you not understand?"

There was a rumbling sound, then a great crash. LadyDevimon turned around with horror. No one appeared over the ledge, they saw nothing except for darkness, but they were all faced with the acute sense that time was running out …

"Children!" said LadyDevimon. "You must get out, you must get out now, Daemon is coming, hurry - there's not much time left!"

"We're not leaving!" said Radiatimon. "If he wants a battle, he'll get it!"

"We're not afraid!" said Knightmon. The other Digimon voiced their agreement.

"All right," said LadyDevimon. The shakings and the rumblings grew louder, someone was coming … "I know that nothing I say will convince you otherwise. If you are to battle Daemon, then you must battle him. But first, there is something you must know -"

"What?" said Radiatimon. The wall was crumbling, the castle was shaking, overhead, blocks of the ceiling were falling to the ground … there was no time anymore.

"We know he's a powerful Digimon, we know he's the most powerful Digimon in the world!" shouted Knightmon. "But we're prepared to die fighting him."

"No!" said LadyDevimon. "Not that … it's about Daemon … he's not what you think … he's -"

There was a great explosion, the Digimon all watched with horror as a figure appeared over the ledge. Radiatimon instantly knew who it was, and indeed they all did, for they were confronted with the sense of overwhelming power and evil.

He was not a large Digimon, but his satanic look more than made up for it. He was a hooded figure, with horns, a cloak, and two slit-like eyes, his face covered by a hood. This, then, was Daemon …

"Enjoying this little talk?" he said, his voice booming. "Humans, fools … and a traitor! LadyDevimon, speak no more!"

LadyDevimon, his own queen, had been watching him, her mouth agape, his voice was not angry but it was extremely malevolent, and full of evil intentions. They all watched with horror as Daemon conjured a fireball in his hands, it looked like hell fire, watched as he threw it at LadyDevimon, watched as it hit her square in the head. There was an explosion, and bits of data shot into the air like sand rising in the wind. When the dust settled, the five ultimate Digimon were standing in the arena, Daemon hovering over them like some evil specter, and LadyDevimon was no more …

"Now," said Daemon. "Who would like to be the next to be killed?"

_Next time on Digimon Genesis!_

_The battle with Daemon commences! The children will need to use all of their cunning, all of their skill, and all of their powers to defeat the most powerful evil Digimon of all time! Can they do it, or is their luck about to run out? Find out on the next Digimon Genesis:_

_THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL_

As always, please read and review, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I hope you all look forward to the next chapter, be sure to keep reading, because we're almost done … with this arc, at least.


	37. The Root of All Evil

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon; the Thirteenth Amendment put an end to slavery._

_Last time on Digimon Genesis! The digital humans engaged in a battle with the last of Daemon's lieutenants, who proved to be no other than LadyDevimon! The battle was fierce, but with the help of Yuka's ultimate form of Persiamon, the Genesis Team once again pulled through. Then Daemon appeared, and all hell broke lose. He killed LadyDevimon, the servant who betrayed him, and set his sights on the human children, intent on destroying them and vanquishing the last remaining humans in the Digital World …_

**DIGIMON GENESISCHAPTER XXXVII**

**THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL**

They all stood before him, agape. They were not awed by his sight, even though that was chilling and overwhelming enough. Rather, they were overwhelmed by his sheer evil, by the act he had just committed before their very eyes.

"So … who will be next?" Daemon asked them. The question was obviously meant to taunt them, but it sounded sincere, there was nothing but evil in his voice.

"You - you -" Radiatimon sputtered. "She was your wife, and you -"

"Killed her?" said Daemon. "I have killed many. What's one more life to me?"

"But she was your own wife!"

Daemon laughed, an evil laugh that sent chills down their spine. It was a laugh not delighting in the absurd, rather it was laughter at any thought of goodness. "You silly human, put away your absurd concepts of 'love'. It is all a purification process … first go the humans. Next the vaccine types, and all data types who dare stand in my way … and then …" "Everyone you love?"

Daemon sneered. "I love no one," he said. "Not anymore, at least. I will kill all those who betray our cause - my cause - for they are one and the same."

"Well, you're just going to have to kill us then!" said Hypothermon.

"We're ready to fight you!" said Persiamon.

Daemon laughed again. "Ready? You fools do not know ready. I, who have possessed total control over the Digital World for years and years and years … you, who have just arrived here, think you can defeat _me_? Ha!"

"We'll see who's laughing when we get through with you," said Knightmon. "After all, we managed to defeat all your lieutenants. We defeated them - now it's your turn!"

Daemon laughed again. "Ha! You defeated _one _of my lieutenants, and with considerable help. MarineDevimon, a lackluster warrior. I shall know better next time -"

"_Next _time?" asked Nornmon.

"There won't be a next time!" said Hypothermon.

Daemon laughed again. "If I really wanted to kill you, I would have done so a long time ago. You have exposed all the flaws in my lieutenants. They were weak Digimon … MarineDevimon, so full of himself that he believed himself unstoppable … but I digress. You defeated only one of my lieutenants. You forget that it was I who killed the two others."

"Yeah?" said Radiatimon. "Well, you don't have any lieutenants left. It's just you - and us."

Daemon laughed again. "Only a coward would say that. A _true _warrior would fight me one on one. Say what you will of what I did with SkullSatamon, or LadyDevimon. But I killed them with my own hand. I did not need the help of others - and you will need all the help you can to defeat me. Ha! To even think of such a thing is impossible. Shall we battle now? Are you truly 'ready'?"

"We're ready as we'll ever be!" said Radiatimon.

"Are you?" said Daemon. "Soon, you will regret that. I am not going to go easy on you - why should you, when you think that you are the saviors, those who will cleanse the world of evil? Don't you know that evil has already been cleansed - the humans have already been wiped out, and only you five remain. Now it is time to finish the job! And when I am done killing you, the vaccine types will go, and the datas, and all viruses who refuse to be loyal to me. This will truly be my world!"

"You're a selfish, greedy monster," breathed Radiatimon.

"Funny that you should say that," said Daemon, narrowing his slit-like eyes. "You are the human they call Takumi, are you not? You should know something about selfish, greedy monsters."

"What are you talking about?" Radiatimon demanded.

Daemon laughed again. "There is so much you won't know … and so much you will never learn. I will kill you all, I will make it so that you will regret ever have coming here. "Evil Inferno!"

It was his attack, he threw fireballs at them, one to each of them, five in total. When they struck, they felt pain like they had never felt before, they screamed out in agony, for they had never felt an attack this powerful. They knew they were dying, dying totally - all of them felt this - and yet, they survived. It was truly a miracle that they did so, though they were not reassured by this. They knew it was only a matter of time … they were thrown to the side, fallen on the ground, each of them felt like fighting Daemon was a useless battle, like fighting a fear that they knew could not be conquered.

Daemon laughed. "You weak, foolish Digimon! Don't you know that I'm at the mega level? Fully digivolved though you are, I can kill all of you without breaking a sweat. How does it feel? How does it feel knowing that my power will always eclipse yours? You had better surrender now."

"We'll never surrender!" said Radiatimon.

"Ah, bravery," said Daemon. "The kind of bravery that leads one to death … perhaps cowardice would serve you better, Radiatimon … or Takumi … you needn't die …"

"I told you once," said Radiatimon. "And I'm not saying it again: I'll never surrender to you."

"And neither will we!" said Persiamon.

"You foolish Digimon!" said Daemon. "If I ought to call you that … for as far as I can tell, you are half-breeds, nothing less, nothing more. You will never know what it's like to be a true Digimon …"

"And neither will you!" shouted Radiatimon. "A true Digimon would never kill … a true Digimon is someone who loves …"

Daemon laughed again. "I should have expected that of my opponents. And yet I was sure you would not be so foolish … then again, if you were truly smart, you would not oppose me to begin with … enough talk … it is time for killing! Flame Inferno!"

They faced the flames one more time, and it was just as devastating as the last time, but their recovery was quicker, and they felt like they could stand one more, and just one more - they knew they would be done for if they did not respond soon …

"Helios Missile!" shouted Radiatimon.

The missile went straight for Daemon, then stopped, and was completely dissolved. Radiatimon opened his mouth, astonished. "How did he do that -" he whispered.

"You fools!" shouted Daemon. "I know more power than you ever will. Now feel my soul of darkness!"

Radiatimon received the attack head-on, it was the worst experience he had ever had, worst than the attack that came before, though it did not kill him. Instead, it filled him with a sense of grief, a sense of hopelessness … and he knew it was impossible, completely impossible, to defeat Daemon, to even battle him was laughable … he knew that their anticipated victory would end in bitter, bitter defeat, and death. Radiatimon dropped to the ground, his wings folded, he felt cold and miserable, and nothing could shake him from his stupor …

"Radiatimon!" shouted Persiamon.

"Ha ha ha!" laughed Daemon. "One down … four to go. I expected better of you, you so-called 'saviors'. How does it feel? How does it feel to know that you are so close to death? I must admit, I have only felt it once … but how does it feel to be completely certain, absolutely certain, that death is inevitable?"

"I'm getting tired of your talk!" shouted Hypothermon.

Daemon laughed again. "You had better get used to it. Mine is the last voice you shall hear!"

Hypothermon, angered, shouted "Freeze Tranquil!"

Even though they knew Daemon was a mega Digimon, even though he knew he was near unstoppable, still they expected him to freeze in Hypothermon's attack. He did not. Instead, the ice never hit him, it shattered him before it made impact, as if Daemon and the ice were physically unable to make contact.

"Your attacks are futile!" said Daemon. He flew, up into the air, high above them all, he hovered above them, symbolizing strength, an evil strength that could not be confronted, but nonetheless was fought against.

"Nature's Game!" shouted Nornmon. She released to Daemon a ball of energy, but he flapped his wings, and somehow he absorbed it; the other Digimon were agape with horror, but still they tried.

"Helter Skelter!" shouted Persiamon. She danced, danced as she did before LadyDevimon, but the attack had none of that effect, Daemon's eyes simply narrowed with fury, and nothing happened.

"Berserk Sword!" shouted Knightmon. His sword he slashed, back and forth, through and down, but Daemon escaped without a scratch. The Digimon were completely stunned, none of their attacks were able to make headway against him.

"Now," said Daemon. "Shall you feel my true wrath! Evil Inferno!"

The fire came again, they were all engulfed, and left with the feeling that nothing was possible, that there was nothing the individual Digimon coulda accomplish: all was lost, all was futile. After some time, they broke free, though they were severely weakened. Hypothermon ran first from the crowd. "Freeze Tranquil!" he shouted, and the ice came again, and once again, to no effect. He did, however, succeed, in tackling Daemon, to the ground the evil Digimon went, but without a fight. He merely laughed, unfazed.

"An ultimate Digimon, who believes he can defeat me?" said Daemon. "Very well. I shall humor you. But do not blame me when the target of your destruction -" Suddenly, Daemon was no more, he appeared somewhere else, far above Hypothermon, "- disappears! Flame Inferno!"

The flames came again, and Hypothermon was once again engulfed, he fell to the ground, screaming in pain; the other Digimon had no choice but to attack.

"Helter Skelter!" shouted Persiamon.

Daemon laughed. "Foolish Digimon, do you think dancing will defeat me? Flame Inferno!"

Persiamon was engulfed in flames, she screamed out in pain, and she was taken out: not dead, but near death. Nornmon and Knightmon were left standing. They confronted Daemon, knowing that the inevitable awaited them …

"Very well," said Daemon. "Attack me, if you wish. I shall turn your attacks against you. Your techniques will not faze me in the slightest. Go on. I dare you!"

Radiatimon got up. "He's - strong," he said, to no one in particular.

"We can't give up," said Hypothermon. "We have to defeat him!"

Daemon laughed again. "I will not be defeated by a bunch of humans! I, Daemon, ruler of this world? And now, so-called saviors, I grow bored with our encounter. Evil Inferno!"

There were flames, so many of them, growing and spreading across the floor so that everything was engulfed, nothing was spared. It was a sea of fire, the Digimon howled with pain as they felt the fires burn their feet, burn their bodies.

"Freeze Tranquil!" Hypothermon shouted. There was a jet of ice, and steam was produced, the raging fires slowly died down, but not without the Digimon sustaining considerable damage.

"There must be a way," said Nornmon. "If we all combine our attacks together …"

"… then we might stand a chance!" said Knightmon. "BERSERK SWORD!"

"HELIOS MISSILE!"

"FREEZE TRANQUIL!"

"HELTER SKELTER!" "DESTINY WEAVING!"

The attacks all combined at once, but with a wave of his hand the combined energies of the attacks were sent literally through the roof, there was another boom, and the ceiling began to crumble. The Digimon tried to avoid the falling rocks, but Daemon was unfazed, everything that threatened to crush him was merely deleted within inches of touching him. He seemed to be invincible.

"There's no way -" said Hypothermon. "- That we're going to be defeated here, right now. Not after all we've been through."

"We can't allow him to beat us!" said Nornmon.

"But how?" said Knightmon. "He's strong - stronger than any Digimon we've ever encountered -"

Daemon laughed again. "Are you fools finished talking yet? Do you not know that there is no strategy, nothing you can implement to change the outcome of this fight? You are doomed. You had best let me kill you, so that I can at least spare you the suffering of a long, drawn-out death. I do this not because you are human, but because you are Digimon also, and therefore deserving of a quick death."

"I'm getting tired of your talk!" shouted Radiatimon. Somehow the reality that this, Daemon, was the Digimon who had finished off the last remaining humans, who had killed countless beings, was now before them. It was probably best not to think about it; he could not comprehend such evil. Radiatimon knew it was no use, knew it was to no avail, but he had to do something, anything. "HELIOS MISSILE!" Straight for Daemon the missile went, and once again it was dissolved. Radiatimon descended to the ground, frustrated. It was like Daemon had sold his soul to the devil in exchange for massive power.

"I think my point has been exhausted," said Daemon. "There is no way to defeat me. It is utterly impossible!"

"How is he doing that?" Nornmon whispered.

"I don't know," breathed Radiatimon.

"He must be doing something," said Knightmon. "If only we could find out what!"

"I've got an idea," said Hypothermon. "Let's attack, all together, one at a time - let's not combine our attacks, let's have him deal with us on all sides."

"Do you think it will work?" said Persiamon.

"It has to," said Radiatimon. "We're going to have to try everything!"

"I believe the hour of your death is at hand," said Daemon. "And now, it is time to finish you all. Evil -"

"HELIOS MISSILE!"

"FREEZE TRANQUIL!"

"NATURE'S GAME!"

"VAMPIRE WAVE!"

"BERSERK SWORD!"

Daemon dealt with Radiatimon's attack, and then, on the other side, Hypothermon's freezing attack. Persiamon's attack, however, hit him head on, the first damage he had sustained thus far.

"Yes!" cried the Digimon. They treated it almost like they had won the entire battle; they had proved that Daemon could be hurt after all.

But he was not hurt badly, he quickly recovered in time to stop Persiamon's attack, and to deflect Knightmon's sword. The effect this had on Knightmon was devastating: with his sword, he was thrown to the other side of the large room, his armor clanging on the floor as he fell.

"Knightmon!" shouted Persiamon.

"I think I shall kill you all one at a time," said Daemon. "Since you are all too cowardly to fight me one-on-one. Say good-bye, Knightmon! Evil Inferno!"

"Berserk Sword!" shouted Knightmon. He recovered quickly, and he managed to deflect the onslaught of flames with his sword, throwing them off with a heavy grunt. He faced Daemon, breathing heavily, and then began to run at his foe, brandishing his weapon.

"Knightmon!" shouted Nornmon. "No -"

"Still haven't learned, have you?" said Daemon. "You cannot defeat me. Don't even try. Evil Inferno!"

The flames came again, rising higher and higher, like a floor, rising, rising. The fire incinerated them, burned them, they screamed with pain as the fires rushed through them.

"There is no escape!" said Daemon. "All humans who dare trifle with me will suffer my wrath!"

Knightmon, however, refused to back down. "BERSERK SWORD!"

The sword was flashing, this way and that, there was no way that Daemon could avoid it. And yet, he did. When he emerged on the other side, the sword had no effect on him; on him there was not a scratch.

"I can't believe how powerful he is," said Radiatimon.

"We should have expected this," said Hypothermon. "The most powerful Digimon in the world."

A thousand thoughts were rushing through their minds, they wondered was it worth getting killed just to spare the lives of countless Digimon, they wondered if they had made some mistake, perhaps they had gotten here too early, perhaps they had erred in not fighting him without more experience. Had they battled SkullSatamon, perhaps they would have had the necessary skill to beat him, but they had not: Daemon had seen to that. And perhaps even all of those things would not have helped, perhaps they had been doomed to defeat for the beginning. Yet it seemed so ignominious, so wrong, that they were doomed for defeat. They had thought, since the beginning, that they were destined for something great, and now … and now they realized the futility in all of this. It was over … all over … try as they might, they could not defeat him, they could only prolong their suffering and extend their moment of death, but it was inevitable now, all inevitable, their fate was sealed …

"Having fun?" asked Daemon. "I love watching you all suffer. I have to admit, I take pleasure in killing humans. It is my great misfortune that I am unable to kill you in your human forms … but I will still kill you!"

"HELIOS MISSILE!" shouted Radiatimon.

The missile came, Daemon swept out of the way, there was no hitting him.

"Evil Inferno!" he responded, and the flames came again.

"Freeze Tranquil!" shouted Hypothermon. The flames died down, Daemon growled with fury.

"All right," said Radiatimon. "Hypothermon, I want you to keep doing that. Don't let him flame us again!"

"I'll attack from the skies!" shouted Nornmon. "Nature's Game!"

She flew up into the large hole and the ceiling, far, far away from Daemon. Daemon looked up after her, but was intent on destroying the Digimon presently before him, Radiatimon and Hypothermon.

"HELIOS MISSILE!"

Radiatimon fired, but Daemon seemed to absorb the attack: then, to their horror, he deflected it right back to them. They shouted in dismay, taking cover as the blast destructed the wall. Daemon laughed.

"FREEZE TRANQUIL!"

But the attack did nothing, the ice too was deflected and shot at them like darts. Radiatimon shot fire from his claws, and the ice melted before it reached them.

"I'll handle him!" shouted Knightmon. He dueled with Daemon, but the sword proved useless, and he was again thrown to the side, discarded like a piece of scrap metal.

"Your pitiful attacks will not defeat me," said Daemon. "Evil -"

"Destiny Weaving!"

From above came the sound of Nornmon on the attack. Daemon looked up, but it was too late, the cords took him by surprise and wrapped around him. For a few seconds he struggled and the Digimon watched, thinking it was too good to be true. It was. In seconds he broke the cords easily. Fire surrounded his body, like a dog chasing its tail. He narrowed his slit-like eyes at Nornmon. "You will pay!" he told her. "Evil Inferno!"

"Vampire Wave!"

Radiatimon, angrily, shouted, "YOU WILL NOT ATTACK HER!" and then shot his own fire at Daemon's. The jets of fire collided in midair and then vaporized, with none achieving his victory.

"You miserable fools," said Daemon. "You have not even begun to understand my power!"

"We understand it, Daemon!" said Radiatimon. "And we're going to defeat you!"

Daemon laughed again. "Is that so? Then why don't you do it? We have fought and fought and fought, and yet you have not given me even a scratch, and I have left my most powerful attacks unused. Do you really think you stand a chance of beating me?"

"It doesn't matter!" said Radiatimon. "We're the saviors!"

Daemon laughed again, this time his most chilling laugh of all, for he seemed more confident of this coming statement than any he had made. "You misunderstand the prophecy, you fools - this world has already been saved, saved by me, the great Daemon, for I have purged this world of humans, and it will be only a matter of time before you too are all dead! EVIL INFERNO!"

The fire came again, this time they were prepared, but it did not lessen the pain, they merely had to tolerate it, wait for the incineration to stop.

"I don't - think - we can -" Knightmon said.

"We can," said Radiatimon, gritting his teeth, waiting for the fire to die. "We will." These were words, but he wondered if they were nothing more than that - just words. The lingering doubts that he had they would not be able to defeat Daemon had been growing ever since they got inside the castle, and was not at his highest point. It seemed almost unbelievable - he had had so much faith in itself that it now seemed unreal that defeat could be looming overhead. He tried not to think about it. He would not surrender, would not become an offering for Daemon - they would either have to defeat him - or die trying. There was no middle ground, no moderation, no compromise that could be reached to ensure the survival of both parties. It was good versus evil, life versus death … they knew, more than anything, that their side was the right one.

"EVIL INFERNO!" shouted Daemon again. There was murder in his words; he was intending to kill them all and they knew it. The fires burned them again, but still they would not die, they would not surrender. And yet they knew also that they could not last: the pain was too great, but worst still was the knowledge that soon the pain would subside and they would be unable to feel anything, good nor bad, that life would be extinguished from them forever, and Daemon would live - they knew they had to fight - they were the saviors, they had to persist - and yet - it was so hard -

"FIGHT!" said Radiatimon. "FIGHT!"

Somehow Hypothermon had it in him to yell, "Freeze Tranquil!" and the fires began to slowly die, but Daemon kept blasting them back, flare upon flare, until Hypothermon's attacks could hardly compete with it …

Nornmon came down from overhead, she shouted, "Destiny Weaving!" and Daemon was once again wrapped in cords, but he was quickly freed, entangling himself with greater ease than last time: he was beginning to adapt. This, obviously, brought them no relief, but they continued to resist his attacks; they knew they had no option, even though it was so much easier not to fight, to surrender, surrender to whatever - on Daemon's terms, or to death. Surrender … the temptation was such that it crossed their minds more than once, but they would not, they were thinking of the reasons they were fighting, even from this onslaught of doom. They thought of their arrival … there were images of LadyDevimon, who had freed them from prison, flashing before their minds … images of the Elder of Civil City, SaberLeomon, and how he had hosted him there … they thought of Angemon … and Piddomon … and of Angel Army, and of Witchmon and Wizardmon, and of MetalMamemon … they faced the fires, again and again, it burned their bodies, gave them searing pain … but still they fought. They knew that this was their test; they had no choice but to fight on: they knew the fate of this world depended on it.

Daemon laughed again, a laugh that cut them to the quick. It seemed like he was carefully prolonging their suffering, that they may go to the grave with nothing but regret for ever having dealt with him. They knew he was cruel, knew more than ever that they had to hurt him, but all their attempts had proved useless. Every time they resisted, they seemed only to hasten their own demise. They felt acutely that they were in the clutches of evil, and once Daemon put his hold on them, he would not release. Still they fought back, full of determination.

"We won't let you defeat us, Daemon!" shouted Radiatimon.

Daemon laughed. "Prove it!" he said. "Or are you too weak? EVIL INFERNO!" The flames came again, covering him, Radiatimon tried to resist. He stuck his claws out, slowly, but surely, he was able to overcome the flames. They dissipated, and Radiatimon stood, unscratched.

"So!" Daemon stammered. "You've been able to resist my attack. Well no more! EVIL INFERNO!"

It was unbelievable: two jets of flames appeared, and Radiatimon was caught between them, he was thrown onto his side, his head hitting the wall with a violent crash. More rocks fell; the palace was crumbling. Daemon flew overhead, through the gap in the ceiling, his voice thundering: "You shall not defeat me. I will kill each and every one of you, one at a time."

"Nature's Game!" Nornmon shouted. She threw an energy ball up at Daemon, but he easily blocked it, and the ball was sent spiraling up into the air, exploding miles away with a loud explosion.

"Foolish human, you dare call yourself a Digimon? Don't you know that it is futile to resist me, Daemon, the King of the Digital World, Human-Slayer?"

From behind him Hypothermon appeared. "FREEZE TRANQUIL!" This time the attack hit; Daemon was briefly turned to ice, but then it seemed to melt around him as the flames erupted from him again. Daemon laughed, but it was an angry laugh, plotting destruction. Suddenly his claws protracted, grabbing Hypothermon by the throat …

"RYOTA!" shouted Persiamon.

Daemon laughed. "Such a silly, human name … Ryota. Well then, Ryota, it is high past time that I killed you. Say good-bye!"

"FREEZE -"

"No!" shouted Daemon, choking him; Hypothermon gasped for air. "There will be none of that. You will -"

"BERSERK SWORD!"

Daemon's claw retracted, injured by Knightmon's sword; Daemon gave Knightmon a look of fury.

"Very well," he said. "You will be the first to go. EVIL INFERNO!"

The flames came again, but Knightmon was able to resist them, he slashed his sword, left and right, left and right, and the flames dissipated. Some of them bounced back and targeted Daemon, but he blocked them effectively.

"I see that giving you a quick, painless death is not in the cards," said Daemon.

"Neither is letting you live!" shouted Radiatimon. "HELIOS MISSILE!"

The missile fired, there was a great explosion, but it seemed that Daemon escaped, and he reappeared amongst the flames, which died down immediately. He turned around, fury in his eyes. "You fool! How dare you attack me! How little you know …"

"I'll attack you because you're the worst Digimon in existence!" shouted Radiatimon.

"Wrong!" said Daemon. "I am the most powerful Digimon in existence, and therefore it is foolish to oppose me! Radiatimon … or Takumi … you had better surrender now. You do not need to be killed, even though the others surely must die … but if you refuse to back down, I will send you down to the grave as well!"

"I'm not backing down!" shouted Radiatimon.

"What's he up to?" said Hypothermon.

"I'm up to killing you," said Daemon. "EVIL FLAPPING!" Daemon's claws appeared again, hitting Hypothermon square in the face. The ultimate Digimon groaned as the claws gripped him, blood was pouring from his head.

"RYOTA!" shouted Radiatimon.

"No …" said Hypothermon. "I will not … back down …"

"RYOTA!" shouted the others, Knightmon rushed to his side …

"EVIL INFERNO!"

And the flames came again, and everyone was scattered but Knightmon, who with his shield blocked Hypothermon from being injured again.

"How valiant, that you would put your life before that of your friend's!" said Daemon. "But it is all useless, you shall both die in the end!"

Hypothermon got up, he seemed impossibly resilient. "Daemon," he said. "There are so many things you don't know … so many things that you'll never find out …"

"What is this nonsense?" said Daemon. "Shall I strike you again and deliver the fatal blow?"

"You've done nothing all your life but try to gain as much power as possible!" shouted Hypothermon. "Power over others, power to make others die … and now you're going to pay for what you've done! You're going to pay for the Slaughters - you're going to pay for all the humans you've killed!"

"How?" said Daemon. "When I am opposed by a confederacy of mediocrities?"

"You will pay!" Hypothermon would back down, he stood before Daemon, fury in his eyes, he was intent on destroying him …

"You little fool," said Daemon. "I will crush you like a housecat! Very well. If you are prepared to meet your doom so quickly, before the others … EVIL INFERNO!" The flames came again. This time, they could not be stopped. Everyone stood, stunned, watching as Hypothermon took the attack head-on.

Persiamon screamed. "RYOTA!"

"No!" said Radiatimon.

"Ha ha ha!" shouted Daemon. "Fight back, Hypothermon, fight back if you can!" The fires raged, they would not die, Hypothermon groaned in pain, until his groans became weaker and weaker, and nothing more came out …

"NO!" said the other Digimon, together.

The fires died, vanishing in an instant. On the ground was Hypothermon. His eyes were closed, he breathed no more, his chest no longer rose and fell. Daemon laughed again, his triumphant cackling ringing in their ears, and then there was nothing, nothing more in the world …

Something dropped to the ground in front of Hypothermon; they all knew what it was. It was Ryota's D-Pendulum. They watched it solemnly for a few seconds, and then, to their shock and horror, it broke into pieces.

"No," said Radiatimon, disbelievingly. "It can't be …"

"Oh, but it can," said Daemon, after a while. "Your friend Ryota has been killed, and existing no more, his D-Pendulum is …" He stopped. Something else was happening, something unexpected … Hypothermon was glowing. In a few seconds Ryota took his place, looking at his destroyed D-Pendulum with stunned agony … but there was also that look of determination, a look that had not been supplanted. Ryota was alive …

"He de-digivolved!" Nornmon shouted.

"Yes …" said Daemon, nodding grimly. But then his cold lips grew into a smile. "But in his human form, how much longer can he last?"

And then there was something else … Daemon was looking at Ryota with hatred, more hatred than they had ever seen on a being in their life … they all knew that it was because a human had appeared before him, a being of a race that he figured had been all but wiped out …

Ryota stared at his broken D-Pendulum, all was hopeless, all was lost, but then … something else happened. The pieces started glowing, a faint light that nonetheless had every person in the room transfigured. Glowing brightly, the pieces began to reassemble themselves.

"What's this?" said Daemon.

Slowly, the pieces came together again, but not into the old D-Pendulum. A new, more powerful device was in Ryota's hands. It was transparent, but was larger in size than the original D-Pendulum. Ryota stared at it for a while, stunned.

"You give that to me!" said Daemon, holding his hand out. Ryota gripped the new digivice tightly …

"Ryota!" shouted Nornmon. "Use that device to digivolve!"

"Right!" said Ryota.

"No!" shouted Daemon.

There was a flash of blue light; it was blinding. They all covered their eyes with their hands, for the light was too bright for them to behold. Then from all the confusion there came a voice. "MEGA DIGIVOLVE!"

The light disappeared, and in its place, and Ryota's, there stood a figure not quite man and not quite animal: he was definitely humanoid, though still retaining qualities of the snow leopard creature, he wore an animal's helmet and was heavily armored to the point that no bullet could penetrate his exterior; he held a saber in his hand that was short and ridged, and there was still that look of determination in his eyes - a righteous anger that would soon explode.

"FELIDISMON!"

The room shook at this declaration of the new creature's name, even Daemon looked a little frightened, or at least uncertain; this turn of events was not to his liking. The creature pushed his saber into the ground, and the room shook some more, but more than that: the floor beneath them was beginning to move, as if tectonic plates beneath them were shifting, and them along with it. It was a structured, highly mechanical movement, the outline of the floor itself was changing, and the other Digimon were being moved. While a solid pentagram had once stained the floor, the blocks were moving, shifting, puzzle-like, and a new image on the tiles was being formed. The other Digimon were moved to the side, and then they felt themselves glowing - standing on their blocks, a virtual moving sidewalk, they had dedigivolved. And then came the final relocation, and they could all make out a new image forming on the tiles: a cross, holy and defiant, contemptuous of evil. Daemon stared at it and seemed to fear it, he looked straight ahead of him and found himself directly across from the new mega Digimon; the floors had aligned to place them on opposing sides.

"So," said Daemon, finding words, "you all have a mega Digimon on your team. No problem, I will dispense of him just as I will dispense of you all - later -"

Felidismon did not reply; he merely looked at Daemon like a parent who was scolding a child. Then he spoke. "Daemon." He had a thundering, majestic voice, the voice that a god might have. "You have done nothing but evil in this world. It is time to consign you to the same place that you consigned your enemies, those in this world who did nothing to arouse your fury but to live. I will destroy you, not because I hate you, but because you hated."

"Then kill me," Daemon spat. "If you can!" There was a loud blast, and he vanished, the other Digimon that had been placed on the sidelines looked around, waiting for him to reappear, and he did so, over their heads, a fireball in his hands. Felidismon leaped, Daemon threw the fireball but it was to no avail: Felidismon punched it and the fireball dispersed. He shot his fist at Daemon, who avoided it again, appearing behind him, and they dueled, punching and kicking and fighting as the others cleared out of the way. Finally Felidismon landed a kick at the side of Daemon's head, and the evil Digimon went spiraling into the ground.

"Freezing Destroyer!" Felidismon shouted. From a cannon at his side there came another fireball, blue in color, but this one did not miss: it hit Daemon just before he landed on the ground with a loud bang. There was a deafening explosion, and then … all was quiet.

They stood and waited for a few minutes.

"Is he … dead?" Nornmon spoke at last.

They waited, watching, waiting …

"NO!" came a voice. It was Daemon, and he appeared again, this time from underneath them, piercing them with his wings.

Seeing his enemy, Felidismon shouted, "Freezing Destroyer!" and there came another blue fireball, but Daemon blocked this one and flew up to meet his foe in battle. They sparred once more, Felidismon punched Daemon but this was blocked, and then Daemon slashed Felidismon, but his armor prevented him from being injured. It was like this for several minutes, with no one having the clear upper hand; several times Felidismon pinned Daemon to the ground with his sword, but Daemon would fly out from under him, would dart out from underneath him, or simply disappear. On one of these occasions he reappeared behind Felidismon and sent a fireball his way. The armor on his back was not as strong, and the attack struck. Felidismon grunted with pain, then Daemon climbed on top of him and tackled him to the ground, where he sent more fireballs his way.

"Evil Inferno!"

"Urgh!"

"Evil Inferno!"

"Urgh!"

"Evil Inferno!"

"URGHH!"

Felidismon was hit, he went down to the ground, crashing in front of everyone. They gasped: he appeared seriously injured. Daemon appeared at his side, cackling malevolently, growing an injury ball between his hands -

"Ryota!" shouted Reina. "Watch out!"

Daemon threw the energy ball with a loud grunt, but Felidismon disappeared, just as Daemon had done earlier. This trickery seemed to surprise the evil Digimon, who had not anticipated that Felidismon would do that, nor was he ready for the snow leopard Digimon appearing behind him and slashing him on the head. Daemon stood to the side, his eyes narrowed with hatred, clutching his cloak. "You will pay!" he stammered.

But the energy was now glowing in Felidismon's cannon. Aiming it at Daemon, he shouted "FREEZING DESTROYER!"

But the attack was to no avail, Daemon narrowly dodged it, left and right, again and again, until finally he produced his own ball of energy that could withstand Felidismon's attack. The two jets of energy collided and dissolved into nothingness, and it was just the two of them again.

"You are a powerful opponent," Daemon admitted. "But hardly worth it." He spat. "So long as human blood runs in your veins, you are my enemy, and I will destroy you!"

With supersonic speed, he suddenly appeared in front of Felidismon, then flung a ball of dark energy straight at his head. Felidismon moaned in pain, the children gasped as they watched his armor break under the force of the attack. Daemon laughed, savoring his triumph as Felidismon fell to the ground …

"NO!" Reina shouted.

"And now," said Daemon, turning his attention to the humans. "I will destroy you all, one at a time, and purge the last remaining humans from my midst!"

The children braced themselves …

"EVIL … INFERNO!" shouted Daemon, and they could feel the rage inside of him, feel his hatred, it filled the arena. He was producing fire, a fire darker than they had ever seen before in their lives, and they knew that it had nothing but the cruelest of intentions. With a raging yell, he called the fire on, and it came for them, and they could do nothing but watch … Takumi covered his head with his hands, as if that would help … then, there came a sound he had never heard before, and he thought for a minute that it was the sound of death, but no … death had not come.

"What?!" shouted Daemon. It was good, this was a good thing, it was a yell, not of triumph, but of astonishment, and rage, but helpless, unknowing rage … the attack had come within several feet of them, and then had stopped, and the fire blew away before it could touch them.

"What!?" said Daemon again.

"The joke's on you, Daemon," said Felidismon. "I produced a force field around them. If you want to hurt them, you'll have to go through me!"

Daemon through Felidismon an angry look. "You fool! Do you really think that you are strong enough to defeat _me_? I'll kill you, and then I'll kill your friends - in their human forms, powerless to stop me! EVIL INFERNO!"

The fire came again, but Felidismon deflected it with one of his arms, and it scattered off in several different directions. Some of the flares came for the human children, but they were deflected by the force field.

"You piece of vermin; I'll send more fire your way, more than you can handle! EVIL INFERNO!"

Now it was Felidismon's turn to laugh, for the flares were once again deflected. "Your attacks grow stale, Daemon! Send something new!"

"You fool!" shouted Daemon. "EVIL INFERNO!" And then the fires came again, and they kept coming and coming and coming: Felidismon deflected some, but the other attacks he was unable to evade, and he was thrown to the ground, the flares beginning to consume him as if they had minds of their own …

"Fire and ice!" said Daemon triumphantly. "I wonder who will prevail? Now, you said I would have to kill you before I went to the other pathetic humans? Very well! I will be sure to make your death quick and painful, that I may get to the other humans faster! DOUBLE DUST!" With this new attack, he flapped his wings, and sinister, dark dust sprang from them, coming at Felidismon from all directions, the dust, being little more than grains of sand, had a devastating effect on him, and he shouted with pain.

"Agony, sweet agony, that song of the doomed!" said Daemon. He stepped up toward Felidismon. "And now I will crush you like a bug!" He set his foot down on Felidismon's head, and the mega Digimon was powerless to stop it, he groaned, but soon the noises came to a stop …

"RYOTA!" shouted Yuka.

"We can't stop him," said Takumi bitterly. He put his hands into fists. "Even with a mega level Digimon, we can't stop him …"

Reina grabbed Takumi's hand. "DON'T SAY THAT!" she protested. "DON'T SAY THAT! WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T SAY THAT!"

It hit Takumi like a thousand bricks. "You're right," he said. "We're so close to winning, so close … we can't stop until we get what we've came here for!"

Daemon laughed again. "You fool, this Digimon is so near to death, do you think your _courage _or your _persistence _will stop the inevitable?" He laughed again, and then something strange happened. The pendant around Daemon's neck glowed, and the D-Pendulum Progress around Felidismon's neck glowed as well. Suddenly, twin beams of light came from them, hitting each other, deflecting off of each other, and Daemon was completely immobile …

"What!?" said Daemon, more taken aback by this than anything that had yet transpired. Then there was a beam-like sound, and Daemon was thrown back, against the wall, hitting it with a loud crash, having been knocked back by the blue beam of light …

Felidismon got up, clearly injured by the fight but still back on his feet. He too, did not know why the beams had counteracted in that fashion, only that he had to get up, and stay up, and not let Daemon get the best of him …

"You are strong," said Daemon, coming from out of the wall. "But not strong enough. Your D-Pendulum will not help you against me!"

"Maybe they will," whispered Takumi, from inside of the force field.

"What?" said Reina.

"The power of the D-Pendulums!" said Takumi. "Come on, let's use them! If they can be used to digivolve us, why can't they be used to stop Daemon?"

"You're right," said Shun. "Let's try. But - how?"

"It's energy," said Takumi. "The energy of the D-Pendulum. When it's not concentrated, it's less powerful. But if we can direct our energy to defeating Daemon …"

"Then we might manage to defeat him?" said Yuka.

"Exactly," said Takumi.

"Let's do it," said Shun. "Ryota needs all the help we can get."

"What do we do?" Reina asked.

"I'm not sure," said Takumi. "But we have to do it in our minds … we have to remember … remember all the horrible things that Daemon did …"

Daemon slashed Felidismon, he shouted in pain.

"We've got to be passionate about what we're doing," said Takumi. "Passionate, but not angry. We can't allow the energy to be wasted. We've got to concentrate … concentrate on defeating him … concentrate on helping Ryota …"

Daemon hit the humanoid snow leopard Digimon again, and he went down, fell to the ground …

"DO IT!" Takumi shouted.

Their D-Pendulums vibrated, they could feel the energy come out of them, and beams of light hit Daemon. They were multi-colored, and they hit him everywhere on his body, on his arms, on his cloak, his horns, his torso, his legs, and Takumi's red beam of light hit him in his face, obscured by his cloak. Daemon screamed, and he released Felidismon, the pain was too much for him to bear …

"We're beating him!" said Takumi. "Ryota, get him!"

Felidismon used up his remaining strength and grabbed hold of the cannon on his right arm. "Freezing - DESTROYER!" he shouted. Two jets of harsh blue fire roared from the cannon, and Daemon was hit; the evil Digimon shouted and was thrown high into the air like a rag doll. Then Felidismon appeared, lightning-quick, at Daemon's side and withdrew a large, blue saber from his sheath. Then, like a skilled chef, he sliced and diced Daemon, cutting him, wounding him severely. Daemon shouted again and then no sound came out. The evil Digimon's body fell to the floor with one final _CRASH, _shaking the arena, and it was over.

Felidismon glowed, and they could see the Digimon shrinking, shrinking back into his human form of Ryota, and the force field subsided. The battle was over. They had won.

But all was not well. The children had hardly emerged from the force field when they saw something happening to Daemon's body. They had expected it to disintegrate and disappear up into the air like the remains of all other vanquished Digimon, but instead it remained on the floor, unmoving. Then there was a strange, eerie blue glow around Daemon's body, and they watched with shock and horror as the sinister wings seemed to fold back inside of his body, saw the horns shrink and return to his head, saw his cloak fading and color returning to the thing inside the cloak …

They were all open-mouthed with shock as they saw Daemon, and then there came a glow, so bright they were nearly blinded, and yet they could all see clearly, what remained on the floor. None of them had seen anything like him before. It was a being, and it was very much alive, though barely conscious, they could see him look at them through his eyes with a mixture of revulsion and hatred. But it was not Daemon who stared through them. It was a figure, with long, dark bluish hair and cold, empty eyes.

They saw, but they did not believe. Takumi lifted up a finger and pointed, but no sound escaped his lips. Shun was the first to speak, shouting the thought that had all struck them like lightning. His voice shaking, he said:

"H-he's a human!"

_Next time on Digimon Genesis!The story behind Daemon finally revealed! Who is this sinister Digimon, and what is his history? Where did he come from, and what led him to such evil deeds? Secrets will be revealed on the next Digimon Genesis:_

_ALL TOO HUMAN_


	38. All Too Human

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon. Like, seriously.**_

_**Last time on Digimon Genesis! The Genesis Team finally went up against their most formidable foe yet, the king of the Digital World, Daemon! Though he almost defeated them, Ryota went into a rage and digivolved into his mega form of Felidismon! After a long fight, Daemon was defeated - but not destroyed. Instead, he **_**dedigivolved **_**into a human! Gasping with astonishment, the other children surround the evil human ruler of Digimon and wonder … why … you will find out, on Digimon Genesis!**_

**DIGIMON GENESISCHAPTER XXXVIII**

**ALL TOO HUMAN**

"He's - a human!" cried out Shun.

"No way!" said Reina. She was almost crying, she was so shocked and stunned by this that she was dazed. "This can't be!"

"It - it's impossible," said Takumi. But his eyes were not lying: there he was, lying on the ground, barely conscious, but his eyes open and livid. He had a look of both revulsion and hatred on his face.

"So," said the teenager on the floor. He was older than they were, taller, but in his current state he seemed small, like an ant. It was like they had walked in on someone naked. "So. You know my true form. My secret!"

He stood there, facing them, and for a time he said nothing, it was as if he was wondering what to say himself. Finally he spat on the ground and said: "You little brats."

"But you!" said Takumi. "You're - you're a human!"

"Yes I'm a human!" said the teenage boy who was also Daemon. He pulled his long black hair out of his face. "What's it to you?"

"But how -" said Shun. "How can that be after all the - all the humans you killed? We thought you - hated humans -"

"I do, I hate them beyond anything in the world!" said the teenager. He clenched his hands into fists. "And I won't stop until they're all wiped out!" He swung at the air. He looked at them with vengeance.

"You're a sick monster," said Takumi. "A horrible freak!"

"A freak!" said the boy. "That's what I am, am I? Well yes! I admit it. I have always been a freak. It has always been my dream to shed this human identity, all this flesh and blood, and to become fully Digimon! But alas, though I have killed nearly every human and have risen to the highest levels of power, _still _my dream eludes me …"

"What is your name?" Takumi demanded.

"You don't have the right to know my name!" said the boy. "I'll tell you what my name is: Daemon! My name is Daemon, and though I am still in my wretched human form, I still bear it! Do not -"

At that moment there came a beam of light, and they wondered for a moment if he was digivolving again: certainly he had been flirting with the idea. The light glowed, brighter and brighter, until they were all blinded by the light, the boy included. They covered their eyes, but just as soon as it came, it disappeared, then there was another flash, and a woman stood in the beam of light. Takumi stared, and gasped: the beam of light had come from Ryota's D-Pendulum, or rather his D-Pendulum Progress, and the woman was none other than Search, of the Shadow Gang.

"That's him!" said the beams of light that formed the shape of the woman. "That's Akiji, Tekkan's son. He's the boy we sent you to locate!"

"Locate?" said Takumi. "Tekkan's son? You mean - Shadow?" He looked furious. "Wait a minute. I thought you sent us here to 'colonize' the Digital World or whatever!"

"Plans change," came a voice. It was Tekkan Shintaro, or Shadow. He turned around to see the boy still on the floor, looking up angrily at the strobes of light.

"Father!" said Akiji. "My worthless human scum _father! _My plans are not yet complete!"

"Quiet," said Shadow. "You have had no plans. What you have been doing is the very opposite of what we wanted you to do. You have -"

"Wait a minute!" said Ryota. "You _knew_? You _knew _that Daemon was your - son?"

Another figure appeared in the light of the D-Pendulum. "No, not until now." It was Ryan Royama. "It was years ago, years, when we sent a baby into the Digital World with the power to transform into a Digimon - just like you five."

"A baby?" said Takumi. "That's sick!"

"Sickening to you - beneficial for us," said Shadow. "We had known for some time that human adults were ill-accustomed to transforming into Digimon. They had too much stress, too much anger, they were not used to it and they went wild, destroying towns and leaving us a mess to clean up. Children, we found, were better, but still they had destructive tendencies …"

"But …" said Ryan Royama. "We thought, babies … if we could start them out so young in life, perhaps they would eventually adjust to their Digimon form … they would, from a young age, be quite reliable …"

"Reliable?" said Shun. "Reliable for what! You - this is your fault - all your fault - you shouldn't have sent a baby here and then expected him to do whatever you wanted!"

"Where is Stone?" Takumi demanded. "I want to talk to him!"

Shadow laughed. "He is quite busy at the moment … or rather, I think he is too ashamed to appear. You see, he has always wanted to appear truthful and trustworthy, like a good father … but you see, he too has known the truth all along."

"What?" said Takumi. "That this human baby eventually became Daemon and killed off all the humans in the Digital World, for whatever reason? That he, in some way, is responsible for my father's death?"

For the first time, Akiji laughed. "I was not responsible for your father's death, Takumi. At least, not directly …"

"What are you talking about?" Takumi demanded, full of angry. "You - you were the one who ordered the Slaughters - you're the one who killed all the humans - you were responsible, and you knew it!"

The boy laughed again. "Not so, Takumi … I knew your father well. And there is nothing more I would want than to have him alive … for, as humans came, he was the very best …"

"What are you talking about?" said Takumi. "You didn't know my father!"

"Takumi, he's a liar!" said Reina.

"What do you know about this?" Takumi asked, not of the boy, but of the image of the man streaming forth out of the D-Pendulum on the floor.

"I know nothing," said Shadow. "Not a thing … we sent the baby into the Digital World, hoping that he might grow up and serve our purposes … but we lost contact somehow …"

"You never tried to make contact," said Akiji. "You threw me into this world, and I took it into my hands and conquered it. You greedy human! I see them as viruses that destroy everything, and what more, they reproduce, growing bigger and bigger until they consume everything, they are like bacteria that must be destroyed -"

"You're a human!" Takumi shouted, pointing his finger at the boy.

"Yes, yes I am," Akiji snarled. "I'm not proud of it, but I believe I have more than absolved my sins, my sin of being a human - by killing off every human that was in this world!"

"Wait a minute," said Ryota. "All this - you did all this - just out of contempt for your own humanity?"

"Not really; it's just that I hate all humans and I wanted them dead," said the boy. "When I was born, there were Digimon who shared my sentiments. In fact, anti-human campaigns were all the rage. There were laws. Segregation. All-Digimon towns. But none of the leaders were really devoted to the cause. The king, Piedmon, was especially a disappointment. He had no hatred of humans, but he caved into political pressure and started the First Slaughter. It was a half-hearted attempt, and everyone knew that there were pockets of humans remaining but nobody wanted to talk about it …"

"We've heard this story before," said Takumi. "Now what the hell do you mean that you knew my dad? Do you even know my dad's name?"

"I will choose not to use it, if you don't mind, for it would disgrace him," said Daemon. "He hated his name, Kairu … oops, I said it."

Takumi's eyes widened, he was about to attack the human standing in front of him but was restrained only by Reina and Ryota.

"Takumi, don't listen to him!" Reina told him. "He's a liar! He never knew your father!"

"Then how -" Takumi gritted his teeth. "YOU'RE A LIAR!"

"I lie when it suits me, yes, but I have said nothing untruthful in the last few minutes," said Akiji. "Every - word - is - true."

"How did you know my father's name?" Takumi demanded.

"I knew your father's name because he was my friend, my very best friend," Akiji confided.

"No way!" said Takumi. "My father would never be friends with you!"

"Would he? How would you know? You hardly knew him, and I knew him well. You may be his son, but who had more years of experience with him?"

"Why would he be friends with you?"

"Well, we were attracted to the same things. He hated humans. And so did I."

"He _was _a human, you creep!"

"When I was young," the boy who was Daemon began, "I was raised by the Digimon of Civil City. I had no parents. They knew I was part-Digimon, part-human, and they knew that I was special, knew that I would one day save the Digital World … they thought me the savior. My early years were very happy … but even though I was much whispered about through the town, still, many Digimon despised me for my other half, my bad side, my human side that they feared. But it did not affect me, not until …" He closed his eyes. "Her. She was a BlackGatomon then. She was the most beautiful Digimon I had ever seen. I loved her. But she rejected me. Not because of my personality, not because of my looks … but because of my humanity. I was disgusted with myself, and I grew to hate my human side … I hated myself with a passion. I began to contemplate suicide. I looked about desperately for a way to kill off my human self, so I could become one hundred percent Digimon, and then she would love me … but as long as an ounce of human blood remained in me, she would not love me …"

"Was this Digimon you loved," said Reina. "… Was she -"

"After school ended she digivolved into LadyDevimon and became more beautiful than ever. She was greatly desired by the Digimon in the city, and being the daughter of Phelesmon, once of the wealthiest Digimon in Civil, she had many suitors … all Digimon, of course. All one hundred percent monster. While all this happened, I went off to the wilderness to find myself, to train, to try to destroy my human side forever …"

"You shouldn't have been doing that!" said Shun. "You should've been looking for someone who would respect you for what you were …"

"SILENCE!" said Daemon. "This … this is not who I am. This form, this human body of mine … my true form is in the power of the D-Pendulum …" He looked at the children, hatred on his face. "So I went into the desert, into the wild region. I trained and trained and trained. I fought day and night, killed and robbed travelers in the wilderness - my first murder - how sweet it was - that I might absorb their data and grow even more powerful … and I killed some humans as well. Such joy I had never experienced, their red blood seeping into the sands …"

"You sick freak," said Takumi.

"Silence," said Akiji. "I grew more powerful than ever before. I digivolved into my ultimate form … no one in the city could recognize me then. I could have gone back, could have pretended to be all Digimon … but I decided to stick around, because I knew how much I loved killing humans. They would travel the desert without any protection, the stupid fools … they were like sitting ducks. I killed them all. And then there was one man I found in the desert one day. He was of average height, with black hair and glasses … I was about to kill him. But something in his eyes … something in them told me to spare his life. I did. I'm sure you know his name."

"Not my father," said Takumi.

"Oh yes," said Akiji. "Your father. He said his name was Kairu Hito, and he said he had come from another world … another world? Well, this was quite interesting, since I too was from another world … I realized I had much in common with him. What is more, he hated humans like I did …"

"NO!" said Takumi.

"Yes!" said Daemon. "He hated humans almost more than I did. Well, before long I told him my secret, the secret that I tried to hide from everyone … that I was actually a human. I transformed back and showed him. He was astounded, and, of course, wanted to know how to become a Digimon like I could. But I told him there was no use, whoever had done the deed had done it long ago, and no one knew how it had happened …"

"You're lying," said Takumi.

"Am I?" said Daemon. "Well, your father, brilliant as he was … yes, _brilliant, _Takumi, and I do not use that word sparingly … he eventually found out how to do it. He was able to replicate what the humans in the other world did to me … to combine Digimon and human DNA … make them one … make them interchangeable …"

"What are you talking about?" said Takumi.

"You know," said Daemon. "He hated being a human when he realized how inferior they were. So he wanted to become a Digimon. It became an obsession for him. He would not stop until he had completed it. Finally, he found a way. Kill a Digimon and harvest their data, then slip their data into a potion …"

"The same method as the Shadow Gang," said Ryota.

"It's not the same method," said Takumi, flustered. "He didn't do it!"

"Of course not," said Daemon. "Do you think he would have the power? But I did. I was already at a well-advanced stage at this time, there were rumors of my great power. So one day we came across a traveler in the desert. We spied on him, watched him go his way. He too, was a Digimon of great power, and we knew that he would be a perfect match for your father. So we killed him. His name was Eidolomon."

Takumi felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, this was all wrong, this must surely be a lie, and yet … Eidolomon. The Digimon in the portrait at Wizardmon and Witchmon's home. Wizardmon's brother … killed by … Daemon …

"So in one gulp, your father had the power. When he became angry … and he was angry very often … he would transform into Eidolomon. Unfortunately, he could not control his power … I theorize that it is the D-Pendulum that did it, focused the power, restrained me … there was no such thing for your father. He was always in a violent rage. There were some rare occasions when he would become coherent, and our talk would be joyful, pleasurable, we felt like brothers, even though he was so much older than I was, we shared a bond that was so close … finally in the midst of one of your father's violent rages I decided to leave him, if only for a little while. I would return, back to my hometown, back to Civil City, and find out whatever happened to my lost love, the foolish Digimon who rejected me. I showed up and sure enough, I was completely unknown. Nobody knew that I was the half-Digimon, half-human, for I had digivolved too far, nobody knew that I was the one who they thought would be their savior … I waited in the shadows and listened by night, and eventually I got wind that LadyDevimon was indeed alive and well, and what is more, she was engaged to be married …" A terrible hissing sound came from his mouth. "I was full of rage, jealous rage. And yet, I restrained myself. I waited, waited … until the night of the wedding. That is when I knew I would have my revenge and have LadyDevimon for myself once and for all."

"You kidnapped her!" Yuka cried.

"Yes, I kidnapped her," Akiji sneered. "Kidnapped her because she was foolish, _raped _her because she would never have done it without a coercion … she was too stupid to know how great I was, how great I would one day become … so I took her."

"By that time, the first Slaughter was well under way … much as I supported it, I had to keep hidden, lest my condition, and that of your father's, became known … yes, I was so powerful then, but still I hated myself … I wanted to extinguish my humanity forever. Finally, your father and I were captured and led to the extermination camps. The Guardians ruled over them, subservient to the King now, helping to coordinate the Slaughter. Those were dark days. I didn't want to die, and I didn't want to live. Only my hatred for humanity kept me going. Finally I made a pact with your father. We vowed that if we ever escaped from that hell, then we would create a new world together … him and I, kings of the Digital World, together, sharing power … and, most importantly, with no humans … the only organisms with human blood in the entire world being ourselves, but no one would know our secret … so one night, before we were going to be executed … for they gave us a waiting period where we were deprived of food, it was misery, utter misery, and to share that misery with humans made it all the miserable … one night we planned our escape. We would transform into Digimon, myself into Daemon, he into Eidolomon, and then we would fly away, right under the Guardians' nose … alas, the plan failed. For as soon as we escaped, the alarm was raised, and Zhuqiaomon chased us. They say that if two people are trying to escape from a lion, then all you must do is outrun the other person … well, I was faster than your father. Zhuqiaomon killed him. I did not look back, I only heard his shouts of pain, heard his bits of data fly into the air … and I was on my own …"

There was a prickly feeling on the back of Takumi's neck. This, this wild story, could not possibly be true … it was a mystical fantasy, a character assassination. And yet, all the pieces of the puzzle seemed to fit, to come together at last … was this the truth, the horrible truth?

"When I returned to my wilderness area," Daemon continued, "I stewed in your hatred, not the least because your father had perished and I was all alone, with only LadyDevimon to keep me company … finally I began to gather followers, those who were displeased with Piedmon's efforts to kill off all the humans … it was half-hearted at best, everyone knew he had no animosity towards humans … finally we set out to assassinate the king. I became the leader of the group. We succeeded. It was not very difficult, once we had the king's own bodyguards to betray him … when he was killed, shockwaves went through the Digital World. I, who had been formerly unknown, except to those who considered me the savior - the boy named Akiji Shintaro - had become King of the Digital World. For all purposes, my human self had been extinguished finally. I only needed to keep myself in my Digimon form, and it would escape all notice."

"And though as King, I was happy, I still had not achieved my one goal. My hatred brewed like a cauldron spilling out. I was intent on destroying the human race. The Second Slaughter commenced almost immediately. Unlike Piedmon, I was absolutely devoted to the cause, and what a difference it made. My team of demon warriors searched every nook and cranny for humans. When we found them, we sent them to the death camps. I wanted them to suffer. And I wanted the Digimon who helped them to suffer with them. I made loving humans impossible. All living things live for their own self-interest, and once I made the punishments deathly brutal I was able to break their chains of affection. Whole cities were wiped out. Human enclaves were utterly destroyed. I wanted to purify the Digital World, not only by killing all the humans, but by wiping out all evidence of human civilization. I wanted them completely erased from the collective memory of this world. It was a long, hard process. There was opposition, not openly, but in secret. I knew I was hated in the Digital World, knew I was feared, and that those who hated me far outnumbered those who loved me, those who would die for me. But I kept up the fear and never stopped using my power to destroy. I reorganized the entire government of the Digital World and appointed my most loyal servants to divide up the world for themselves. MarineDevimon, that devil of the seas, became their ruler, and SkullSatamon, ruler of the land, chief judge, and executioner, all in one. And then there was one more - LadyDevimon. But I kept her in the palace at all times, because I knew she hated me, even though she hated herself more, she blamed herself for what I had become. I had to be very cruel to her, not only for my sake but for hers, for several times she tried to commit suicide, and she would have succeeded. She attempted once to jump off the castle and fall to the ground, but at the last second she instinctively opened her wings and dropped gracefully to the ground. She could not do it, but she hated me, she hated herself, she hated the world she had created, the world _I _had created - she secretly wished for revolution. And though I hated her by now too, I could not bring myself to kill her. But she was dangerous, I knew that - it was not only for my personal use that I kept her in the castle, but also because she was the only one alive, far as I know, who knew my secret, that I was actually a human. I knew that if she ever told anyone or tried to tell anyone, then I would have to kill her. When she was about to tell you all my deepest, darkest secret, I snapped, and I had to kill her. Do not mourn for her, mourning is for the weak, though I loved her I did not shed a tear, for I loved myself more. But what a waste of time, because, in spite of all my efforts, you five now know my secret."

"Yeah?" said Takumi. "And what are you going to do about it?"

"You might now know this," said Akiji. "In fact, I am sure that nobody knows about it. You have may noticed, however, that I have enlisted the help in the Digimon Guardians in securing the destruction of certain wretched Digimon, such as the vaccine types. I was most delighted to learn that you had the chance to stay at one of my death camps."

"Where is this all going?" asked Ryota.

"And if you had stuck around a little longer instead of trying to destroy my Nightmare Soldiers, you would have learned about the barriers between the worlds - the Destiny Stones. Should they be destroyed, then the barriers between the worlds would become unhinged … it would be possible to open gates to other worlds at ease. But the Destiny Stones are hidden, and tracing them is extremely difficult … but there is another means to getting to other worlds, that is, without waiting for a portal to open up randomly in the Digital World for a certain number of seconds … and that is, through the Demon Stones."

"Demon Stones?" said Reina.

"Yes, I quite liked the name. Now unlike the Destiny Stones, the Demon Stones are not to be destroyed, but _constructed_ from the data of fallen Digimon … the desert where Purification Camp is located is the reservation area for all the data that has been lost over the years … a great dump or recycling bin of sorts, and buried in the ground is the data that I have been using in my plans … my plans for the creation of the Demon Stones …"

The children listened, bemused, at Daemon's story …

"You have been most beneficial to me. You, and all the Digimon who I imprisoned who were killed. You may not have known it all that time, but the labor you were doing in the camp was for me. And soon, the Demon Stones will be finished. It is only a matter of time. The clock is ticking … yes, and even the Guardians accept my instructions without question … I am stronger even than legends …"

"So what?" said Ryota. "What world do you plan to go to?"

Akiji smiled, an evil, sadistic smile, and before he even spoke they knew his answer. "Isn't it obvious? All those years, after all the humans were killed, I should have been happy. After all, the most loathsome beings in the world were no more. And yet, I was still discontent. Do you have any idea why? It is because the humans have not been completely exterminated yet. No, we are just beginning … soon, a gate to your pathetic human world will open up, and I shall repeat what I did in the Digital World, except on a much broader scale … and then, when I am finished, I shall be king of your world as well, and repopulate it with my Nightmare Soldiers, and all who question my authority will be killed …"

"I've got news for you," said Takumi, full of hatred. "There's no way you're going to our world! And if you do, we'll stop you!"

Akiji laughed again. "Stop me? It's impossible … as we speak a gate is already opening up … I will go to your pathetic human world, and I will destroy every living thing inside of it!" He smirked with evil. "And the only ones who can stop me will be stuck here."

They gasped: there was a bright streak of light, but there was nothing good about it: everything in it reeked of evil intent. They watched, with horror, something they had seen before, but brighter and eerier than ever they had seen it: it was a gate to another dimension.

"How - ?" said Takumi.

"Fools! You pathetic clowns. The Guardians have done fine work. And they are completely oblivious! So stay here, human clowns, stay here and keep this world, because when I am done conquering your own, I will come back here and start a new world government, more stronger than the one I implemented the last time! And while you are sitting here, waiting for another gate to open up, I will be massacring your families, and every pathetic human being that you call a friend! Good-bye! And good luck in finding your own gate to your world!"

"STOP!" shouted Ryota instinctively.

"No!" said Reina.

"DON'T!" shouted Yuka.

But there was no stopping him, the boy had vanished into the dimensional gate, his laughter ringing in their ears, echoing through the halls of the destroyed castle, filling them with a sense of foreboding, a sense of great evil without proportion …

"NO!" said Takumi. He ran toward the dimensional portal, the others held him back, why, he did not know, but soon he found out … the gate was closing, until it was no larger than a dot, and then finally it vanished into nothingness, and they were left standing alone in the dark, barren room …

Takumi broke down and sobbed. "No …" he said.

"Takumi," said Reina. "It's okay …"

"NO!" said Takumi. "No, it's not okay! The man who … my father … I never knew him and now … this is the truth …"

"Takumi, he's a liar!" said Shun. "Why believe him?"

"It all makes sense," breathed Takumi. "It all makes sense … I don't want it to, but it all makes sense! And I hate myself for it! No! No! I want … I want to die!"

"Don't be stupid, Takumi," said Ryota, picking him up off the ground. "We've got bigger problems to worry about."

Takumi wiped away his tears and looked soberly across the empty room, where there was no gate any longer …

"Like how we're going to get home," said Reina.

"And if anyone will be left when we do," said Ryota. The ones who had been called the saviors stood there, not knowing what to do. They had just bested a superior villain, the king of the entire Digital World, yet they would rather have died here today than to live and have Daemon in the human world …

_Next time on Digimon Genesis!_

_The children are left in the ruins of the Digital World, where anarchy rules. At the same time, they have to find their way home before Daemon destroys their world as well! And, in the past, did another child find a portal to the Digital World? Friends and foes, both old and new, return in this very special chapter of Digimon Genesis:_

_SPECIAL CHAPTER TWO_

_EAGLEMON'S REVENGE_


	39. Final Notes

Following are a couple of "notes" pertaining to the third, final arc of Digimon Genesis, when the children return home to confront Daemon in the real world. These notes are pretty rough and although there was a basic idea for what the chapters would be, they are not really fleshed out. I wanted to put this up because this story is not going to be finished and I wanted everyone who reads this to not be left hanging. I am, of course, disappointed that I was unable to finish the story, and I have had some thoughts of starting it back up again, but I do not think it would be worth the time or the effort.

Anyway, here goes:

First, there was supposed to be another "Special Chapter" written, the first special chapter being "Revenge of the Dragon". Unlike the first, however, this one was to be in-continuity. In this story, the four Guardians made their reappearance. In addition, the plot focused on Eaglemon, a Digimon who had been 'cast out' of the Guardianship for making friends with humans. In fact he bonded with a human girl named Myra, who disappeared from the human world via a gate to the Digital World (this Myra girl is referenced in an early chapter of Genesis). Myra, however, is long dead, having been killed, presumably by the Guardians themselves. Eaglemon is obsessed with revenge and wants to kill the Guardians, especially Zhuqiaomon. Eaglemon kidnaps Yuka, who strongly reminds him of Myra. Eaglemon is actually master of all the birds. If you notice, there are many references to birds throughout the story. They are all servants of Eaglemon and have been watching the children for some time. Eventually the children track down Eaglemon, who tells of his story and his desire for revenge. A battle ensues between Eaglemon and the Guardians, and Eaglemon is seriously wounded. Before dying, Eaglemon ascends into the sky, saying that his light will always be there for the Digital World.

Chapter 41: Finally returning home, the children go to their respective parents. Takumi has a tearful reunion with his very confused mother, because time has not moved at all since the children went to the Digital World. Takumi has a good time lying around the house, but he knows deep inside that Daemon is out there and plotting against the world that he loves. However, this does not last long. He receives a frantic call from Ryota, who tells him that he has discovered the dead bodies of his parents – victims of Daemon.

Chapter 42: More surprises are in store. Tekkan "Shadow" Shintaro reveals that Ryota's mother is also Akiji's mother, and therefore Ryota and Akiji are half-brothers. Furthermore, it was Shintaro who was Ryota's mother's first husband, who used the potion on his newborn son to send him to the Digital World. It was hoped that the tenderness of the child would be enough to dilute the drastic effects that the potion would have on him.

The next day, the children all meet with the Shadow Gang for an update, only to find that they are relocating. Shintaro is paranoid that Daemon will find them and kill them all. Takumi angrily goes to Stone to tell him how much trouble they are causing, and Stone reluctantly agrees. He also regrets joining the gang in the first place, but admits that there is nothing he can do. Meanwhile, the children search for Daemon, who has gone dark. There have been no sightings of him recently. The worried children fear that he is planning something, and so does the Shadow Gang.

The next day, the children are dismayed to find that Japan has been effectively isolated from the world. Radio communications are down, televisions won't work, and an eerie darkness falls over the entire island. Planes that attempt to enter the area find themselves with severe electronic trouble. It is obvious that Daemon is behind it all.

Darkness falls across Japan. Daemon appears in Yokohama, his image appearing in the sky. He tells the people of Yokohama that their destruction is imminent, and that they have but little time. Next, Daemon raids the hideout of the Shadow Gang, killing Diana Watari and Ryan Royama. He finds a number of potions, intending to recruit humans for his army. Unsurprisingly, the humans he recruits are deviants who are angry at society. He promises them immense power and the prospect of ruling the entire world with him. Among his recruits are Hawk and another delinquent from earlier (these characters appeared in the chapter when the children visited Shun at juvenile hall). Daemon also finds the three bullies from the high school. All of these children are given potions that have been corrupted by Daemon which he has taken from the Shadow Gang's hideout. Using them, they become the Great Demon Lords – Lucemon Chaos Mode, Leviamon, Belphemon Rage Mode, Barbamon, and Beelzemon. Daemon also uses his dark powers to revive Miho and giving her the potion of Lilithmon.

**Chapter 44**

In Yokohama, the sudden appearance of a beautiful woman captivates the men of the city. The beautiful woman is actually Lilithmon, or Miho's new form. Lilithmon, eager to have sex, engages in physical acts with the men she seduces, but later kills them. Growing bored with these dalliances, Lilithmon sets her eyes on a new potential lover: Shun. Lilithmon attempts to seduce him, and though Shun is attracted, he finds something about her off-putting. Unsuccessful, Lilithmon reveals her true form, and Shun runs from her in terror. Lilithmon later encounters the other children and tells them that Daemon has revived her, and that the end is near for them. The children try to reason with her, but eventually conclude that the only thing they can do is kill her. They manage to evolve into their ultimate forms (or in Ryota's case, mega form). Together, the saviors significantly weaken Lilithmon, who teleports back to Daemon's hideout for security. Daemon is infuriated with her and informs her that since he gave her life, he can easily take it away. Lilithmon pleads with him for mercy, but it only reminds him of his love for LadyDevimon and his rejection because of his humanity. Daemon's rage explodes and Lilithmon, and Miho, is shown to be destroyed.

**Chapter 45**

The other Demon Lords have a meeting at Daemon's hideout. Assigned to kill the children, they discuss recent events, including Lilithmon's murder at the hands of Daemon. The Demon Lords were more than willing to receive power, but are getting cold feet, and many regret that they are stuck in a dire situation. Of course, they realize that there is nothing they can do but listen to Daemon's demands and be the best servants they can be. Of the group, Hawk (Beelzemon) seems the most unfazed by these sudden and drastic changes, enjoying his new power and especially his ability to kill people. One of his first targets is the juvenile hall where he had resided. With his giant cannon, he could easily blow it off the map, but instead he goes inside and murders its residents. He finds that he has an insatiable desire to kill, and says that killing the children will be easy because he enjoys killing so much.

Beelzemon enters Yokohama and causes mass disturbances, killing as many people as possible, in the hopes that the children will come after him. They do so and evolve into their final forms, then gang up on him to take him down. Beelzemon fights, but finds that he is unable to stand up to those who are more powerful than he is. Knowing that Hawk/Beelzemon is now insane with bloodlust, they combine their powers and are able to kill him. But they leave behind a city in ruins.

**Chapter 46**

-The next chapter that I planned to release was the second Special Chapter. Unlike the first Special Chapter, this one was to be in-continuity. Meaning, of course, these events did not deviate into an alternate university. This chapter was to be pertinent to the story and was to involve Eaglemon (Crossmon in Japan). Eaglemon's backstory was that he had originally been a member of the Digital Guardians but had been kicked out for befriending a little girl. The little girl's name was Myra, who was not born in the Digital World, but had accidentally discovered a portal to the Digital World and fell through it. (This girl was briefly referenced in Chapter 4 in a throwaway line about a young girl's disappearance). Myra had been killed in the Second Slaughter under the watchful eye of Zhuqiaomon, who Eaglemon hated and with whom he had a bitter rivalry. Eaglemon was obsessed with getting his revenge on Zhuqiaomon and is always training to get stronger so he can punish him for what he did. Unfortunately, Zhuqiaomon kills Eaglemon in the Special Chapter. But before he dies, Eaglemon uses his remaining energy to help the children by cutting a hole in the dimensional gate, allowing the children to get back to their own world, and Daemon.

-Ryota and Akiji (Daemon) are revealed to be brothers, or half-brothers specifically. Tekkan Shintaro (Shadow) was married to Ryota's mother and they had a child. Shintaro thought that a baby would be able to adapt to the effects of the potion more easily and did not care for the child except as a tool to tame the Digital World. Shintaro sends his own infant son in through the gate without a second thought. He then disappears, leaving Ryota's mother an emotional wreck.

-Daemon's first act in the real world is to kill his mother and her second husband, Ryota's father. Ryota returns home to find the massacred bodies of his parents.

-While the first and second arcs of Digimon Genesis contain a lot of mystery and foreshadowing, the third arc is mostly plot-driven. There was to be lots of action with few breaks.

-A whole bunch of characters were supposed to be killed off. In roughly chronological order:

Ryota's parents (murdered by Akiji/Daemon)

Mr. Akimoto (gym teacher, killed by Beelzemon)

Mrs. Falle (principal, beheaded by Beelzemon)

Miss Andrews (schoolteacher, shot by Beelzemon)

Diana Watari (killed by Daemon)

Ryan Royama (killed by Daemon)

-An eccentric American cowboy character by the name of Neil Peggyson makes an appearance. He is a pseudo-adviser to the Shadow Gang and seems bizarrely unfazed by the rapid destruction of Japan. Neil provides comic relief during the hectic final chapters.

-With Japan plunged into chaos and thousands of deaths, Shadow feels a sudden pang of remorse and comes to grips with what he has done. Feeling that he now has an obligation to stop the pandemonium, he rashly takes one of the potions he has procured and becomes Chaosmon, a giant lizard-like Digimon who only knows how to cause destruction. Given the amount of angst Shadow has, he is completely unable to control himself and only causes more destruction in his attempt to kill Daemon, his own son. Chaosmon uses up all his power and is then killed by Daemon.

-Flint Shale (Stone) is the last survivor of the Shadow Gang and confides in the children that he is certain Daemon has come to the human world for other reasons than to conquer it. He tells them of a myth about a seed that has the power to rid an individual of one's soul. Stone theorizes that Daemon has come to Japan in an effort to rid himself of his human form forever, as Daemon believes that his present form has been weakened by his humanness.

-Military forces from other countries come into Japan to stop Daemon, even armed with an A-bomb. Daemon takes Mrs. Hito captive, but he is fired upon by military jets anyway. Daemon survives, Mrs. Hito does not.

-The death of Takumi's mother causes him to go into a massive rage, but it also clinches his transformation into Celciusmon, his mega form.

-Celsiusmon fights Daemon in an epic showdown. Celsiusmon is able to gain the upper hand and manages to significantly weaken Daemon, forcing him back into his human persona of Akiji.

-Akiji begs for mercy and promises that he will repent for his sins. However, he then tries to kill Ryota, who manages to push him off the building on which they are fighting. He falls, apparently to his death.

-Coincidentally (or not so coincidentally) the spot where Akiji falls is also where the Dark Seed has been buried. Akiji uses it to permanently destroy his human form, becoming fully Digimon, and now possessing no humanity.

-The children think they have won, but they are uneasy. Something does not "feel right". Soon, they are inundated with reports of a terrifying being destroying downtown Yokohama.

-The children all unite together and kill Daemon's "monster" form. The end.

-At the conclusion of the story, Flint Shale becomes foster father to both Takumi and Ryota.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a review and I'll answer. What happens to such and such a character, does X ever happen to Y, does this ever get resolved, et cetera. And of course, feel free to leave general comments as well. Thanks everyone for reading.

**FAQ**

_What happens to the other protagonists besides Takumi and Ryota? _Shun becomes a more confident person and goes from being a loner and outcast to a driven and respectable young man. He is more active in his community and furthering his art career. Reina is maturing into a beautiful young woman. But she only has a few close friends and hardly speaks about her adventures on the Genesis Team. Finally, Yuka is more confident, is much less quiet, more outgoing, and is one of the most popular girls at school.

_Are the facts about Takumi's dad told by Daemon really true? If so, how does Takumi get over the fact_? Yes, what Daemon said about Takumi's dad is really true. The last arc really explores Takumi's feelings toward his dad. Stone explains that Kairu Hito had a "dark side" to him and asks Takumi what he would have done in that situation. Eventually Takumi accepts that his father was not the man he thought he was, which finally allows him to kill Daemon.

_How are the other Demon Lords (Lucemon Chaos Mode, Leviamon, Belphemon Rage Mode, Barbamon) killed?_ Really wish I could answer this question, but unfortunately I lost my notes relating to those chapters. Basically, the Genesis Team fights and defeats them one at a time. Sorry I can't answer in detail!

_Who were the first people in the Digital World? Why are they not notorious in Digimon culture? _The first humans in the Digital World arrived there over 500 years ago. They came as a small group of people, less than 200, through the inadvertent discovery of a digital gate. All the humans in the Digital World were their descendants. Thus, there was no 'first human' in the Digital World, rather a group.


End file.
